Television is at its best when it surprises. That’s what the airing of the Democratic National Convention delivered. It was something unfamiliar and unexpected, though it was named often in the telecasts: joy.
It’s not a novel observation to write that “joy” has become a foreign notion in recent months—years, even. That is especially true when you think of what has become one of the greatest and most consequential byproducts of our 24/7 televised news cycle: We see and hear from our politicians. Constantly.
Lately, that’s been akin to being immersed in an around-the-clock horror movie, where audience participation is mandatory. We’ve even resigned to that being our new normal. So the Democratic National Convention, politics aside and just as a form of entertainment, seemed positively renegade.
It was a galvanizing event that rose to its cultural moment, one that understood its assignment: joy. By having that, the joy, as a mission statement, the convention was able to produce epic moments. Oprah’s ebullient speech (I still can’t get over that the teleprompter had all the vowels included in her concluding “Kamalaaaaaaa Harris” bellow.
) Michelle and Barack Obama’s incredible return to the political spotlight. Hillary Clinton’s victory lap. Elizabeth Warren’s emotional reaction to her ovation.
A structure of joy, however, built a scaffolding around which the unexpected could play. Did any of us expect Lil Jon to be a major character in the most signif.