Tunnel Vision at Inauguration? No Thanks

Daniel Mandel — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:28:00 -0500

On January 20, like more than a million of my fellow citizens, I journeyed to the core of Washington, DC to witness the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Unfortunately, the color of my ticket meant I would spend that frigid morning on a massive line in the Third Street Tunnel of I-395 -- the now-infamous "Purple Tunnel of Doom."

The crowd's initial excitement and esprit gave way to anxiety and confusion as the historic hour approached. 9 o'clock... 10 o'clock... 10:30... the time ticked by, and the line barely budged. Finally, a once-orderly double- or triple-file queue became a mass of people streaming toward daylight-only to find that the Purple Gate had apparently been closed for hours, shutting out thousands of ticketed spectators.

I still do not know what exactly went wrong that day. Unmistakable, however, were the looks of disappointment and dismay on the faces that streaked by as I ran to catch Obama's speech on TV in a nearby bar. Although the occupants of the tunnel were a diverse lot, many were young people who had worked and volunteered for the Obama campaign and were therefore especially eager to witness the fruits of their labor. It was sadly ironic that these Millennials -- the rising under-25 generation that proved so integral to Obama's electoral success and the groundbreaking nature of his campaign-were the ones being shut out.

In a newly-commissioned paper for the Next Social Contract Initiative, authors Neil Howe and Reena Nadler describe the civic values and political habits of the Millennial generation (full disclosure: I'm one of them). After noting that young people voted overwhelmingly for Obama in the 2008 election, Howe and Nadler compare the Millennials to earlier generations of Americans -- the World War II "G.I. Generation," the Baby Boomers, and Generation X-and assess their emerging traits and inclinations.

The authors portray the rising generation as confident, community-oriented, civically engaged "organizers," a cohort of leaders not unlike their depression- and war-tested grandparents. In particular, Howe and Nadler argue that Millennials instinctively trust large institutions such as government, and will place their unique stamp on America's institutions in the decades to come. Raised in an era of hands-on parenting, and deeply shaped by the experiences of 9/11, Millennials fear out-of-control individuals more than too-powerful authorities, and look to government to protect them and act in their interest.

In many ways, our institutions failed us on Inauguration Day. A conspicuous lack of signage left ticket-holders unsure of where to proceed. Feckless police officers allowed thousands of people into the Third Street Tunnel, then disappeared. A cold and confused crowd was essentially left to fend for itself, and then turned away with nary a word of explanation once it finally reached the gate.

In the face of experiences like these -- and following the general incompetence and ineffectiveness of the Bush Administration -- many older Americans must wonder how Millennials can possibly trust our civic institutions. Haven't they learned from Iraq, Guantanamo, and Katrina?

Yet what the skeptics fail to grasp is that the Millennials are still very much an emerging generation, for whom the Obama campaign was their debut on the national political stage. There is bound to be friction as one generation of leaders gradually gives way to the next. In the coming years, the Millennials will undoubtedly wrestle with the institutions they inherit, advancing in fits and starts as they struggle to figure out what works.

Already, many are turning to quintessentially Millennial institutions to organize and demand a response to the failures on Inauguration Day. The blogosphere has erupted with angry commentary and heart-rending testimonials. A Facebook group -- "Survivors of the Purple Tunnel of Doom" -- formed within hours of the swearing-in, and now has more than 5,000 members. The group has kept the story alive by attracting news coverage and bombarding the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) with correspondence.

These efforts have already paid dividends: JCCIC Chairwoman Senator Dianne Feinstein has promised a full investigation into what went wrong, and the Committee is now offering a package of inaugural memorabilia to those turned away.

What is ultimately most promising about the aftermath of the Purple Tunnel of Doom is not the government's concerted effort to make things right. Rather, it is the memory of an unselfish and cooperative crowd trying to make the best of an historic day. In the face of frustration and disappointment, the crowd nonetheless avoided narrowly self-interested "tunnel vision."

"This is bigger than me," I heard one tunnel-dweller say.

As the power of Millennials continues to grow, that calm and other-directed outlook is cause for optimism about the future of our institutions.

Demographics

Tunnel Vision at Inauguration? No Thanks