The McBournie Minute: You can keep your celebrations

Posted on September 8, 2008
Filed Under McBournie Minute, Scurry '08 | |

The Democratic and Republican National Conventions are now over, and like many of you around in the office water cooler or in social circles, people keep asking me if I watched any of them. No, I didn’t. At least not if I could help it.

This answer usually brings surprise to people’s faces, or the assumption that I don’t like a certain party, or even that I am apolitical overall. The latter is not true, but the first part is. Yes, I hate both parties. But I don’t watch the conventions because I can’t take the cheesiness of it all. Months earlier, candidates were ripping each other apart for the nomination, then, all of a sudden it’s a big love fest at the convention. Suddenly, the candidate who won is the “right man for the job” or is “ready to lead.” It just feels slimy and choreographed, and I am not one to watch dancing anyway.

You know those infomercials that are on late at night you only watch if you’re really bored/drunk? That’s what a convention is to me. All they are doing is trying to sell me a bunch of crap, and I am not bored/drunk enough to listen to it.

A coworker of mine last week was surprised when I said I had only watched parts of the conventions when I had to for work. She thought watching someone finally win the nomination is entertaining in itself. I suppose if you have had a team in it this far, maybe that is true.

Me, I never watch sports for trophy winning. I didn’t watch the Olympics for the medal ceremonies, either. Watching someone stand there bright and smiling as their country’s national anthem is being played is not entertaining. Watching someone fight it out and compete against the best the other teams have to offer–that’s why you watch sports.

When the Boston Red Sox won the World Series last season, I didn’t watch them hoist up the trophy or jump on each other. When the Boston Celtics won the World Championship earlier this year, I didn’t enjoy watching a bunch of screaming, “certifiable” athletes. I watched to see the game to see who won, and then I went to sleep.

This is why I am looking forward to the presidential and vice presidential debates this fall. I want to see the candidates slug it out. I want to see blood. And when someone comes away with the victory, I will know why, and maybe I will have chosen a team to root for by then. Until that happens, it is all just a bunch of crazies in a big room clapping and booing at their candidate’s command.

Let me know when the game is on.

Written by Bryan McBournie