Topsy Turvey?

When I was I college, I took a course on Chaucer with a very distinguished professor, one of the gurus in the field. His take on the Canterbury Tales, which I retain to this day which should give you an idea of how powerful it was, was that they were essentially tales of a society gone awry. All the symbols in the tales were turned on their heads, indicative of the dangers inherent when the world order is turned upside down.

For instance, most of the pilgrims in the tales are leading their horses, rather than riding them--an indication that man is not in control of the beast. And the bawdy Wife of Bath, well she is a a woman run amok--a woman who very much exhibits the characteristics of a man, which all become apparent when she does not remain in her "place."

I remembered this when reading the wonderful piece that Ron Suskind wrote in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine about the end of the Bush era and the beginning of the Obama one, entitled Change. How eras that begin with a "roar," end with a "whisper" and it often feels like the world order is being literally turned on its head.

Change is energizing but to many people it is also terrifying. And I think to many of them, this new grassroots world, epitomized by an African American president, is terrifying. That is perhaps why we are seeing increased incidents of racism on college campuses even as we are seeing galvanized youth, excited by promise.

I do think we are in the middle of writing a Canterbury Tale of our own and its interpretation may be up for debate. We are indeed turning the established world order on its head. Only time will tell if that is a good or bad thing.

For now I think it is so important to stress tolerance, respect and patience. Change takes time and this man did not get to be president without knowing not only how to play the game but how to be better than everybody else.