Most of us who have gone through high school in America have class rings celebrating our graduation.  I got my class ring — which I still have, almost thirty [choke] years later — from Jostens.  At the time, as now, rings had the school mascot or symbol on one side of the ring and options for the other.  Students chose from various symbols representing the school activity they most liked.  I chose drama, other chose band, a sport, academics, and so on.

A reader tips me that Jostens has a new set of options for the era of Hope and Change, as seen on page 22 of their catalog:

Yes, along with one option each for Republican, Democrat, and Independent, students have two choices for Barack Obama, 44th President, for their high-school class rings.  Presumably, students will choose this option because … why?  Barack Obama was their greatest achievement in school?  He was their favorite hobby?  They made the varsity team in Hopeandchange?

No matter who’s President, the cult of personality this strongly suggests is just a little creepy.  Somehow, I doubt that “Obama 44” replaced “Bush 43,” though, in the Josten’s catalog.

In a way, I feel for the students looking at this option.  After all, had Josten’s been doing this when I ordered mine, my choice would have been limited to … “Carter 39”.