February 02, 2005

There was hardly anyone in the concourse when I showed up at noon to watch the election open forum. But when I left four hours later, the room was full of ecstatic and beautiful youths clapping wildly.

The whole afternoon was a crescendo of mindless enthusiasm, the concourse exploding with colours and sounds. Normally I would be in the middle of the crowd instigating shit, but nowadays all I can do is watch. My job as chair of ERC is exactly what is sounds like — they give me a chair and I sit in it. They don’t let me do anything else.

Which is fine, because student politics is a bizarre mix of buzzwords and bitterness. Today I heard about experience, vision, leadership, and approachability (these words are the mantras that will rot our brains). Most of the buzz came from the presidential candidates who all wore suits and refused to take them off during their speeches. And they all spoke in the same monotonous voice without once flailing their arms.

I was disappointed — I wanted to see spark or maybe even nudity. But for enduring a day in the concourse I got a bright blue t-shirt with the letters EAC painted on the sleeve. The shirt will give me special powers on election day. I don’t know what EAC stands for. Election Action Committee? Eat Ass Crud? I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.

Update: Presidential candidate Pete Nickel eventually offered to take off his clothes on camera.