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Taking sides
Oct. 23rd, 2004 02:44 amThis scares me.
So the Republicans really are taking over, no matter what Michael Moore says. Or at least making a very spirited attempt at taking over the entire country.
When did this happen? When did such hatred of an opposing viewpoint become OK? When did this kind of thing become the norm? Has it always been this way all throughout American history, and I just don't know it?
I find myself torn between my own liberal viewpoint and my relativist viewpoint on this particular question.
The Republicans are Bad and want to take away all of our freedoms! They are insane and they don't know what's going on in the world! If left to their own devices, they will turn the country into one big concentration camp and declare nuclear war on every other country except for the ones whose land they will rape to squander their natural resources! If you are a Democrat, you are CORRECT in your beliefs. How lucky you are to have such a realistic and clear-minded view of the world!
That can't be right. There's no such thing as Good and Evil, just different sides. Good and Evil are human ideas that humans try to impose upon the universe to make it make sense. I know this. It's an inherent part of my belief system. If the Republicans are that bad, the Democrats must be pretty bad as well. Screw 'em all, I'm going home.
But fuck, the Dems make more sense. Is this really happening? Is the semblance of Good and Evil (or is it Right and Wrong?) really beginning to show?
Needless to say, this also scares the shit out of me. The only times during history that I can remember where I could really tell who was the bad guy was when the Bad side was really, really fucking horrible. Nazi Germany, for example. The Roman Empire? Eh, I can see the benefits.
I don't know whether I'm losing my perspective or gaining it.
I can't talk about politics to anyone anymore. I vote Democrat but I'm not a Democrat. I don't think I belong to any one party, not when politics and economics and personal beliefs are so closely intertwined. I'd like to be able to comfortably label myself as something, but I don't agree with any one party on every tenet of their beliefs.
Is it OK to be a Democrat if you think Libertarianistic capitalism is the best economic policy? Is it OK to be a Libertarian if you believe in Social Security and the welfare system?
Can I be a feminist if I think the Man Show (the original one with Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Corolla) is funny? Will they kick me out of NOW if they find out I wrote for Stuff Magazine?
Can I be a card-carrying member of the ACLU even if I want to scrawl sarcastic things on those huge black-and-white text God billboards? Even if I really wish one of the campus churches would stop showing anti-abortion and creationist slogans on their electric sign because it offends the shit out of me every time I have to walk to Pierce or Anspach? If I want to throw rocks at Preacher Rick?
Can I love both the Beatles and Yoko? Can I wince and laugh at the same time when someone tells a racist joke? Can I honor and practice the faith of my ancestors while still not believing in God?
So the Republicans really are taking over, no matter what Michael Moore says. Or at least making a very spirited attempt at taking over the entire country.
When did this happen? When did such hatred of an opposing viewpoint become OK? When did this kind of thing become the norm? Has it always been this way all throughout American history, and I just don't know it?
I find myself torn between my own liberal viewpoint and my relativist viewpoint on this particular question.
The Republicans are Bad and want to take away all of our freedoms! They are insane and they don't know what's going on in the world! If left to their own devices, they will turn the country into one big concentration camp and declare nuclear war on every other country except for the ones whose land they will rape to squander their natural resources! If you are a Democrat, you are CORRECT in your beliefs. How lucky you are to have such a realistic and clear-minded view of the world!
That can't be right. There's no such thing as Good and Evil, just different sides. Good and Evil are human ideas that humans try to impose upon the universe to make it make sense. I know this. It's an inherent part of my belief system. If the Republicans are that bad, the Democrats must be pretty bad as well. Screw 'em all, I'm going home.
But fuck, the Dems make more sense. Is this really happening? Is the semblance of Good and Evil (or is it Right and Wrong?) really beginning to show?
Needless to say, this also scares the shit out of me. The only times during history that I can remember where I could really tell who was the bad guy was when the Bad side was really, really fucking horrible. Nazi Germany, for example. The Roman Empire? Eh, I can see the benefits.
I don't know whether I'm losing my perspective or gaining it.
I can't talk about politics to anyone anymore. I vote Democrat but I'm not a Democrat. I don't think I belong to any one party, not when politics and economics and personal beliefs are so closely intertwined. I'd like to be able to comfortably label myself as something, but I don't agree with any one party on every tenet of their beliefs.
Is it OK to be a Democrat if you think Libertarianistic capitalism is the best economic policy? Is it OK to be a Libertarian if you believe in Social Security and the welfare system?
Can I be a feminist if I think the Man Show (the original one with Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Corolla) is funny? Will they kick me out of NOW if they find out I wrote for Stuff Magazine?
Can I be a card-carrying member of the ACLU even if I want to scrawl sarcastic things on those huge black-and-white text God billboards? Even if I really wish one of the campus churches would stop showing anti-abortion and creationist slogans on their electric sign because it offends the shit out of me every time I have to walk to Pierce or Anspach? If I want to throw rocks at Preacher Rick?
Can I love both the Beatles and Yoko? Can I wince and laugh at the same time when someone tells a racist joke? Can I honor and practice the faith of my ancestors while still not believing in God?