on Monday, I returned from a two-week vacation where I did my best to unplug and remove myself from the constant clatter of voices that berate us on a daily basis from our televisions, computers, and phones about current "issues" and politics. I very much wanted to spend some time not discussing or listening to discussions about the economy, President Obama, issues of race, gay rights, and (god. please. no more.) health care reform. Of course, it's not possible to entirely remove oneself from all of this without turning off the iPhone (no, I can't do it!) and/or heading out into the woods, trekking into the desert, or sailing out to a desert isle. I did my best, but you know...
Now that I'm back at work and the din is as loud as ever, I've tried to use my brief moment of quiet to achieve a little clarity on what is going on and to sit back and observe rather than engage. One thing that I've noticed, and something that's been pointed out by many of the more liberal talking heads, is who the people are who are showing up shouting at these "Town Hall Meetings". I perceive them as being white, mostly older, seemingly uneducated (that might be unfair but this is my observation, so scram!), heterosexual, mostly male, and not from an urban environment. Or "Real Americans" as Sarah Palin would tell us. (speaking of real Americans, I was in Massachusetts over my vacation - you know the place where some of the first white people, aka Pilgrims, came to the "New World", a fact that in and of itself should seem to make it possibly the best candidate for the most "Real America", except that it has a large urban population, tends to vote progressive, and is one of the few states where same-sex marriage is legal. I guess all the "real Americans" fled to some other part of the country to bury their heads in the sand.) Another thing I noticed about these old, white, rural folks is how angry and hateful they are, and that these seem to be the same folks who are so angry and hateful about gay rights and about a Black president. Who are these people and why do they hate America so much?
That's right. I believe that they hate America. They don't know what America is, or more precisely who America is, and they believe that they have some literally God-granted right to do things they way they want and to pass laws that favor the few over the many. I kind of feel sorry for them. They are incapable of seeing the richness and gloriousness of the multitude of different kinds of people that make this country a great place to live. They fail to recognize that it is change and the constant flux of people and ideas that creates the great incubator that grows innovation and creativity and that their constant oppression and unrelenting anger and hate fuel the fire that provides the energy for this combustion.
It is not a coincidence that it was also old, white, straight men who showed up on Capitol Hill in their private jets to ask for money to save their precious auto industry that they honestly believe produces the best and most desired products in the world, blind to the hard evidence and solid data laid out in front of them. These men are a segment of the population who I think honestly believe that horrible things are going to happen to them in the months and years to come and that eventually they will be stolen away in the middle of the night to be put before a death panel of queers and coloreds who will decide whether or not they get to live or die. (Maybe it's because their ancestors have spent so many thousands of years doing this to other groups that they are worried about getting their comeuppance.) They are irrational, delusional, and incapable of engaging in any kind of intelligent discussion. (NOTE: I am not saying that all older and middle-aged white people are like this. Just most of them. Or at least the republican ones. Hell, even the young republicans are trying to distance themselves from these crazies and recognize that they are destroying the party.)
Why is this important to realize? We must stop expending so much of our precious time and energy fighting and arguing with these folks. We need to focus on doing good and making the world a better, happier, more productive, safer place for everyone who is currently here and for those who will be here in the future. We know that all of us deserve the right to affordable health care and to live free of oppression and discrimination regardless of our country of origin, the color of our skin, our religion, sexual or gender identity, level of education, ability, age, and whatever other characteristics/traits/beliefs that we may have. At the NSRC, we devote a great deal of time and energy focusing on ways that we can promote this ideal, particularly when it comes to sexual desire, pleasure, happiness, and well being. We also spend far too much time and energy trying to figure out how to respond to the insanity of this raucous, vocal minority who are hell bent on making sure we don't achieve any of it. I am making a pledge to try to stop responding to the constant and insane screaming and yelling and focus more on working to DO things that actually promote change. Will you join me?
