Monday, January 13, 2014

A daily barrage of insults from people who should really like me

When Bill Maher calls Laura Bush "Hitler's Dog," as he did on his show last night, shall I consider that satire? Shall I come away thinking that was just a joke? Or shall I be offended by the likes of Bill Maher, a small man physically and mentally, and openly declare war?

When Kanye West appears on Time's cover, shall I take that as an insult to me, a Republican who supports George Bush? What's next? A coming diaspora of white Christians, further beyond the Pale?

When ex-hippie, Howard Dean states that I am a narrow-minded, bigoted, right-wing nut and then refuses to back down when challenged, what am I to think?

Or do I get to think at all?

What about the New Orleans mess? Do people just not understand our system of  federalism? Talk to Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin about bigotry, not me.

Stick and stones?
Our popular culture, maximally infused with politics has turned people of all races and sensibilities into a group of ninnies. Instead of speaking up against people who are wrong, wrong, wrong, we go on about our business. We go to work, we take care of our families and we take it, take it, take it. Our surrogates are paid to handle the retorts. Yet, they don't. They just lie back and take it.

I'm tired of everything being political. From the trip to the grocery store like last year when a group of union thugs wouldn't allow me enter, to the tiniest event when a girl in the beauty shop stated the U.S. was killing her family in Mexico. There I am, getting beautiful and minding my own business, and this person gets on my case about her Mexican family. She speaks to me of something about which I know nothing! They were MEXICAN CITIZENS. Her accompanying hostility scared me. And angers me something awful.

I talked with black people about the mess in the Big Easy. To a person, they agreed that George Bush doesn't care about black people. Why?

My response is this: I support the president, therefore, are they calling me a bigot? Their allusions and vagueries insult me. They don't know me...they have no idea what my insides are like.

Just wondering
Beneath their vicious attacks on people whose policies I support, I can't help but think the real viciousness is really aimed at me. Will those who disrespect me simply because I'm a white person, turn on me? Will they hurt me? When the culture becomes so violent and uncivilized, as ours feels like it is currently, something has to pop. I just hope it isn't a gun at my head.

If they'd just back off, for just a while...I'm so tired of the division.

National Brotherhood Week
Hey, Black Dudes and Dudettes, Latinos and Latinas, practice some tolerance on your own side. Celebrate Take-a-Cracker-to-Lunch Day!

Thanks for the read.

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