Students travel to D.C. rally
Some people dressed up as Uncle Sam, bananas and wizards Saturday. Many held signs reading, ‘Our differences make us interesting, not enemies.’
Though it looked like a Halloween party, it was actually Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. The rally in Washington, D.C., put on by the television comedy-news personalities, argued against partisanship in the United States.
A busload of about 55 Syracuse University students traveled to Washington for the rally, leaving SU at midnight on Friday. The students were a small part of the estimated 250,000 people at the event. For Ben Glidden, a freshman broadcast journalism major, attending the rally easily outweighed spending the weekend in Syracuse.
‘I’ve heard Halloween was a great time, but I was a part of a historical political rally in our nation’s capital that will be talked about for years,’ Glidden said. ‘Can people who dressed up and went out drinking to frats say that?’
The rally criticized the media and its effect on politics, Glidden said.
‘The media Republicans make Democrats look bad, and the media Democrats make Republicans look bad,’ he said. ‘Why would you reach across party lines to these people that are portrayed as monsters by the media?’
There were a variety of performances, including Ozzy Osbourne, The Roots, Cat Stevens and John Legend. Stars of the Discovery Channel show ‘MythBusters’ led the crowd in experiments. Other speakers at the event focused on tolerance, embracing diversity and loving the United States.
There was a musical illustration of the Stewart-Colbert debate by Stevens, who performed ‘Peace Train’ against Osbourne’s rendition of ‘Crazy Train.’ The O’Jays performance of ‘Love Train’ resolved the debate.
Glidden said the best part of the experience came when he was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people rallying for the same cause.
‘Knowing that people haven’t given up hope on our government and on our country gives me a lot of hope,’ he said. ‘We still have people out there who understand our country is in a tough spot, but we have climbed out of holes before and we will do it again.’
One segment of the rally involved Stewart and Colbert awarding medals for reasonableness and fear. One award was given to Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Armando Galarraga for forgiving the umpire who blew his perfect game.
Amy Snider, a junior history and political science major, attended the event and agreed that it forged an alliance between attendees. She said it was an event that will shape the generation.
‘There was such a sense of community and patriotism at the event that it could in no way be regarded as negative,’ Stewart said.
The rally ended with Tony Bennett singing ‘America the Beautiful,’ and the crowd erupted in cheers, chanting ‘USA, USA!’
Kevin Phu, a junior in the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a campaign director of College Democrats, said his favorite part of the rally was Stewart and Colbert’s musical performance of ‘I’m More American Than You,’ with lyrics like ‘Every day on my calendar is the Fourth of July. If you cut me open, I bleed apple pie.’
Phu said it was one of the most memorable rallies he’s been to, due to the friendly atmosphere of the fellow attendees.
‘The rally itself was a Halloween party of its own,’ he said.
Published on October 31, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Contact Colleen: cbidwill@syr.edu
