OT -- Joy and Happiness

We've come a long way in a millennium, but we're not that different. A thousand years ago, in medieval Western Europe, you lived and died with whomever your king was. If you were lucky enough to get an Offa, or an Alfred, or a Charlemagne, you were set. Peace and prosperity would be yours. Your lucky number is 4. If your ruler sucked, (e.g. Ethelred the Unready, Henry III, Louis le Effin Crazy, Martius Bar-is High-us Monrnhinwegius), then you'd best start studying up on whatever language the local marauders are speaking these days, 'cause yo ass 'bout to be SACKED! (Watch out for numbers ending in "ixty-six") In those times, people had good reason for rejoicing at the end of a tiresome reign and the rise of a new leader, particularly a promising one. Today, we plan the power transitions so well that the republic barely notices the change. 99.9 percent of people working for the federal government yesterday still have their same jobs. Yet I think we still retain a sense of attachment to our leadership. It's easier to smile when we have a leader we like, easier to despair when we don't. What's more, we morph ourselves to the spirit of our leadership, drawing on them for strength and direction when we can. Since we're not all fans of the same politics, take a look at Michigan fandom during the coaching changes of recent memory. When Bo left, there was an emptiness, but soon we all adopted, to a degree, the Moeller atmosphere. (Some of us cut the bottoms off our t-shirts. We're not proud of it.) When Gary's reign was cut short, we adopted the curmudgeonly attitude of Lloyd. Now, slowly, we are becoming mini Rich-Rods, believers in Barwis, quarterbacks who look like cornerbacks, and receivers who look like Smurfs. If you doubt it, imagine the head asplodom that Gred Robinson's hire would have created, say, four years ago. How does this apply? It wasn't easy going from Lloyd to Rod, but many of us made the jump much earlier. Curmudgeons in 1997 were by 2006 becoming converts, even after a season that gave us a taste of national acclaim. The waves of Rich Rod conversionism happened before Rich Rod was even known to us. It happened during the Horror, and a 7-5 season. Disappointments revealed inherent flaws, which we were more able to perceive. We lost faith in our leadership. Compare that to the administration of President Bush. When the soulless knocked down our towers, we wanted a mean, crazy, dumbass son of a bitch in the White House talking about terrorists with USA Patriot Missiles up their asses. What's more, we appreciated it when, in those weeks of uncertainty and exposure, he stirred the patriotic flags buried amidst the cobwebs in our hearts. But with each obvious failure, those who love the country more than party were turned off, and that made us more receptive to this administration's flaws. And after awhile of such dissonance, frustration and despair builds. With Michigan football, the decline and fall was two years. The level of patriotic ebulliences today is directly correlated to at what point you became disillusioned with the current leadership. If it was Harriet Miers, you might have a finger in the air and be going "wooo." If it happened at Katrina, you could be saying, "well, this is good." But for those of us who got fed up during the leadup to Iraq or before, the Bush White House was starting to become more like the reign of Matt Millen. There are a lot of people out there who imagine themselves leaders, not followers. Some of these people have posters with whales and quotes on them. Such people can hardly fathom why a planned transition that was scripted and released months ago can bring out such emotions. But there are those of us who can still be moved by the things that have moved our society for a thousand years and more. Maybe you're more of a fan of Edmund Burke, or Pat Roberts than American civicism. And that's totally totally cool. Seriously -- we're not all Anglo-Saxons here. If you don't subscribe your faith to these United States, or you do but you think the current management was doing just fine, that's totally cool. Patriotism is basically fandom anyway. And like fandom, to those not caught in the spirit, it is a little ridiculous. But I ask you, as a fellow sports fan, to remember that sometimes the ridiculous can be powerful. So have a little patience for us. We are but big-time fans of U.S.A., who didn't like the old coach, and after 8 years, have finally reached a much-longed-for Peanut Butter Jelly Time.