WRAY.VINGS
O
RANGE is a great color.
It’s not a staple in the closets of many, although in recent years, Orange has become more popular on the fashion runways of Milan, Paris and, of course, Stillwater. There are not many universities across the country with the privilege to don Orange. There are the standard blues, reds and even a few heliotropes. But Orange is rare. I find it interesting that political analysts assign colors to states when they are describing loyalty to one party or another. The buildup to Super Tuesday for Democrats was, well, colorful. While many were wondering if Clinton and Obama would trade microphones for boxing gloves,
they settled down to civility just in time for the Democratic debate. A nice shade of beige on the mood color wheel. A new President in an Orange Armani! That’s something I would vote for. Super Tuesday took on a lovely shade of black for Edwards and Romney. Perhaps the VicePresident’s office could be painted a brighter shade if one of them lands there. For the Republicans, a nice shade of gray, the default color representing John McCain. This is the color of his suits and his hair. Okay, every now and then he “walks on the wild side” and busts out a navy sport coat. Come on, man. Get yourself some colorful shirts, ties… anything. You don’t have to ride the neutrality fence in fashion, too. Blue, red. Donkeys, elephants. It can get confusing. There are blue states and red states. But, thanks to thousands of OSU alums and fans, Oklahoma is Orange! Quick, someone call CNN and tell them. I would love to see that on a national map tonight! Politics is big business. The only thing more strange and expensive than political television
advertisements are those for the Super Bowl. But that’s another column. I watched the Republican debate a few weeks ago. As the four hopefuls on stage tried to place themselves squarely in the shadow of Ronald Regan, Anderson Cooper fired red-hot questions at them. With the Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the audience, a question eventually was asked about clean energy and clean air emission in California. The cameras turned to the front row, and the Governor of California. Sitting next to Mr. Schwarzenegger was our own Mr. Boone Pickens and his wife, Madeleine. I’ll give you one guess as to what color necktie Mr. Pickens was wearing. Way to go Boone. Even in California you were representing Oklahoma State. Party solidarity is a key in politics and in support of a university athletic program. This is not to say everyone on the Democratic or Republican side of the isle agrees on every issue. Far from it. People usually get along fine when they are in a room by themselves. But as someone else enters, they are faced with considering other opinions, ideas and viewpoints. But when it comes down to critical issues, the discerning members get on the same page in a hurry because they realize party strength is at stake. The same can be said for fans at Oklahoma State. You may have differing opinions on some issues, but in the end, your support is decidedly partisan. Regardless of your political affiliation, the one consistent thread weaving us all together is dyed in the wool ... Orange. Football season, basketball season, baseball, golf or election season, Orange is always in season. Go Pokes. Kyle Wray