The White House as Barometer
A few nights ago I read an essay by Daniel J. Boorstin called "The Roles of the White House" (from the collection Cleopatra's Nose). His idea was interesting: he looked at the White House as a visible metaphor for the American government. Me marveled at how humble, how much like an American house it looked, how being placed in the midst of a lovely park represents the freedom and openness of our government, how ordinary people mill about and wait in line to go inside the house where our head of state actually lives, representing how average citizens have unprecedented access to their lawmakers.
Clearly this essay was written in a different time, one that was more open, more optimistic, more positive, one that believed in the basic utility of the government to do good things. The copyright date on the collection was 1994.
What a difference it makes for 10 years to pass and for a minimum of the electorate to elect a scoundrel as President!
Oh yes, the White House can still be read as an excellent metaphor for our government and its relationship with The People, but it would hardly be recognized by Boorstin, and certainly not as something good, positive, open, and optimistic. People don't enjoy the grounds of the White House any more, where restrictions in the name of security increase every year; besides, picnics under the watchful eyes of young guys with automatic weapons aren't all that relaxing, which probably comments metaphorically on the openness and freedom of our government. It's gets harder and harder to arrange for a tour of the building, which might have something to say about the People's access to their government. But it doesn't really matter, since the current occupant of the White House spends less time there than any of his predecessors, which must say something about his relationship to the People.