Monday, November 08, 2004
Regarding last week's election and my comments thereon, I got an email from my old pal Gaz:
What up, ace? Seriously wishing you still had comment action on your blog, because your recent political posts would've been great fodder for more public dialogue. Sounds like you and I have been in similar bubbles the last few days. Are we surprised? Sadly, not really. Befuddled? A bit. As in "how can *this* be the current state of the union?" People, by and large, are fucking nuts. Especially in this country.
Like you noted, I was most surprised of all that "moral issues" would be the most-cited concern among voters. Given the shitstorm in Iraq, the (as we would be led to believe) constant threat of terrorism, and the state of the U.S economy, this is truly a mind fuck.
My approach? Be steadfast and ride this out. This is admittedly a fallible assumption, but I can't help but hope that the current wave is still forged in morality honed in the 20th century, and it'll get better. What're today's geriatrics complaining about, the profanity-tattooed skinhead two doors down in the nursing home? Right. It's the skaters on the corner. The kids. The kids that are doing and thinking all the things that "we didn't do in back in my day." Sure, there are plenty (scarily so) of young republicans out there, but by and large you see the cultural shift slowly going in the right...sorry...correct direction. Yes, when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in reaction to reader response, is forced to print and apology for printing a photo of Britney and Madonna kissing, that's bad. When fines are levied against broadcasters for a breast-baring Super Bowl halftime show, that's bad. But living in a time when such a show can even be choreographed for live TV is getting is there.
I say: sit tight, love who you want to love, be who you want to be, and wait for the chronically uptight to die off. Thanks to the current lack of appropriate public funding for embryonic stem cell research, today's 80-year-olds won't see 100. But you and I will. In a marry-the-fuck-whover-we-want-to-marry marrying, legally dope smoking, hydrogen car driving, pro-choicing, gun-disowning nation we can finally be proud to be a part of, where the NEA and military budgets are reversed from today and finally make fucking sense.
Peace, my brother.
-Gaz-
He's been one of my closest friends for over 20 years, now. And if you can't figure out why after reading what's above, then you don't know me very well at all.
What up, ace? Seriously wishing you still had comment action on your blog, because your recent political posts would've been great fodder for more public dialogue. Sounds like you and I have been in similar bubbles the last few days. Are we surprised? Sadly, not really. Befuddled? A bit. As in "how can *this* be the current state of the union?" People, by and large, are fucking nuts. Especially in this country.
Like you noted, I was most surprised of all that "moral issues" would be the most-cited concern among voters. Given the shitstorm in Iraq, the (as we would be led to believe) constant threat of terrorism, and the state of the U.S economy, this is truly a mind fuck.
My approach? Be steadfast and ride this out. This is admittedly a fallible assumption, but I can't help but hope that the current wave is still forged in morality honed in the 20th century, and it'll get better. What're today's geriatrics complaining about, the profanity-tattooed skinhead two doors down in the nursing home? Right. It's the skaters on the corner. The kids. The kids that are doing and thinking all the things that "we didn't do in back in my day." Sure, there are plenty (scarily so) of young republicans out there, but by and large you see the cultural shift slowly going in the right...sorry...correct direction. Yes, when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in reaction to reader response, is forced to print and apology for printing a photo of Britney and Madonna kissing, that's bad. When fines are levied against broadcasters for a breast-baring Super Bowl halftime show, that's bad. But living in a time when such a show can even be choreographed for live TV is getting is there.
I say: sit tight, love who you want to love, be who you want to be, and wait for the chronically uptight to die off. Thanks to the current lack of appropriate public funding for embryonic stem cell research, today's 80-year-olds won't see 100. But you and I will. In a marry-the-fuck-whover-we-want-to-marry marrying, legally dope smoking, hydrogen car driving, pro-choicing, gun-disowning nation we can finally be proud to be a part of, where the NEA and military budgets are reversed from today and finally make fucking sense.
Peace, my brother.
-Gaz-
He's been one of my closest friends for over 20 years, now. And if you can't figure out why after reading what's above, then you don't know me very well at all.
# posted by Thomas : 7:16 PM
