Advertisement

What is America thinking? Here’s what the hats and T-shirts at Old Faithful say

What if you ignored an Old Faithful eruption and instead read all the tourists’ T-shirts and hats? What would the results say about America in 2015?

Share

I went to Yellowstone National Park and spent a couple of days, on and off, watching Old Faithful erupt, surrounded by summer tourists from every corner of America. And then -- as this video shows -- I started reading (and photographing) their shirts and hats.

I had wondered, with the 2016 election coming, what all those messages would say about American hopes, dreams and leanings. Can you guess the two words that showed up most often?

The video will tell you.

But I’ll tell you six words that didn’t show up at all: Bush, Clinton, Sanders, Trump, Democrat, Republican. On July 23, the day I visually surveyed the Old Faithful crowd, there were plenty of brands and ideas being advertised. But I didn’t see a single soul pushing a party or presidential candidate.

Advertisement

“A Minute Away” is a video series in which nothing much happens -- except you see the world, and hear it, and get a respite from workaday life. We’ve covered Machu Picchu, Red Square, the Yucatan, the Alamo, an Alaskan float plane and the reading room of the New York Public Library, among other places. Since early 2013, we’ve been adding a new minute every week (and some of those “minutes” are closer to 120 seconds). So if you’d prefer an hour or two away, we’ve got more than enough here for you…

MORE: Yellowstone’s steaming, splashing, roaring spectacle is best seen up close

Advertisement