I was 18 when the Berlin Wall fell; three months later, Nelson Mandela was released. What a time to be young, but I mostly remember being blasé about everything. The night after the Berlin Wall fell, I was talking with some friends. One thought it was the most exciting thing that had happened in her lifetime; I said I didn't think it would make that much difference in the long run. With 30 years' hindsight, I kind of think I was right: can we really say the world in 2020 is any better than it was before 1989? In other respects, I was completely wrong. I had absolutely no right to be so cynical at that age. I didn't know whether the world would be better or worse; it was just an opinion, plucked off the top of my head, to make me feel cooler than my friends.
Over the years, I've tried to become less cynical. On the night of the general election in 1997, I came home from work, and after I'd eaten, I had an hour or so to kill before I went out again, and I toyed with the idea of going out to vote. I lived in a safe Labour constituency, and the result was a foregone conclusion nationally, too; and, despite being desperate to be rid of the Conservative government, I didn't find Tony Blair a thrilling alternative. After some internal wrestling, I decided to vote. This was an historic night and I would probably regret not having been involved more than I would putting my cross in a box. Besides, I don't really agree with not voting anyway. Despite the way things turned out, I don't regret voting that night.
And so, back to 2020. Something big has happened. There are fireworks going off outside (although, I think this may have something to do with bonfire night). But people are thrilled to be rid of a certain, soon-to-be-ex, US President. And I am, too, despite my reservations. A few days ago, I had a good-natured (I hope) disagreement on a social media site because I'd said that a Trump victory would be more conducive to stability. I think several events suggest that Trump and his followers will not go gracefully. Had he won, we might just have shrugged, allowed ourselves a bit of wallowing, and then got on with our lives. Instead, we might be see the beginnings of another American Civil War.
Or perhaps not. I don't know. I hope that once the legal shenanigans are done, Trump finds a way to leave the Whitehouse gracefully, or at least with out too much screaming. It's too easy to imagine some kind of disgruntled 'real USA' forming a state-within-a-state, complete with their own militia. That too, might not happen, and I hope it doesn't. For now, I will allow myself to be happy. When I look back at November 7th 2020, I think I'll remember it as a good day. For all the disruption we might see in the next few months, I think the alternative would have been much worse for the next 4 years.
