- The Greatest Show on Earth – by *impurfektion on deviantART
ordinarily,, i would avoid politics like the plague i believe it to be.. however, i feel that there is a sociological aspect of the election campaign we are now embroiled in that has as of yet (at least in the sector of the blogsphere that i frequent) failed to have been addressed.. and i for one feel the need to bring a voice to it..
come november,, no matter which party’s presidential ticket wins the election,, america will be adding a significant page to its own history.. we will either have a woman,, or a black man, ‘in the white house’.. at first glance one might be quick to assume, that either of these deviations from the norm should, at least in theory,, be a good thing.. after all,, regardless of the outcome,, precedent is being set.. from this election forward,, we will never be in the position of not having had either a woman, or a black man, ‘in the white house’.. we are outwardly forcing ourselves as a nation to ‘come of age’ in terms of the manifestation of our support for either, sexual equality,, or racial diversity…. and although the inner rebel in me wants to cry out,, “it’s about fucking time!!!” i feel forced to curb my enthusiasm…. why??
let me see if i can explain.. i feel, we as americans outwardly talk a lot of smack about racial and cultural diversity.. whereas we would like to think (read: cause others to think) that we have undergone a genuine change in our societal attitudes,, the change, if in fact one has taken place at all,, could more correctly be referred to as a grammatical change.. the imposition of ‘politically correct’ lingo has lulled us into a false sense of acceptance.. we honestly want to believe that since we are no longer as verbally viral,, that a change has taken place in our hearts… and i for one am not afraid to point my finger at not only white america,, but black, latino and asian america as well and ask,, “who the hell do you think you’re kidding?”
i could go on to site instances and examples to strengthen the emotion behind why i feel this way,, i believe it would be wiser to simply admonish each of you to examine your own heart.. examine the community in which you live.. examine the way that you observe those of your own race interacting amongst themselves,, when they are not within earshot of anyone that they feel will hold them morally responsible for the terminology that they choose to employ.. and then come back here and tell me how racially and/or culturally diverse america has become… i’ll wait here…
with that being said,, i think whether or not barack obama is the man most qualified to hold the position of forty-fourth president of the united states of america or not,, is a moot point.. he is a black man.. and as far as i am concerned if he wins the election,, he will do so, based solely on that fact.. those that stand behind him,, stand behind him because he is a black man.. and while i do acquiesce that there are those that have sworn their allegiance to the democratic party,, and will vote in unison with the party no matter who they offer as a candidate,, i would venture to guess that the majority of his supporters will vote for him, simply because he is, a black man.. some will do so in an attempt to proudly display their supreme level of racial acceptance.. while others will do so solely to support the race into which they were born.. in either case,, his politics,, his ’stand on the issues’,, his background,, and his experience,, need not even enter into the picture..
and then we have the stalwart picture that the republican party has attempted to paint of john mccain,, and the media frenzy that surrounds his choice of vice presidential candidate,, sarah palin… in what i feel was a brilliant move on the part of the republican party,, they nominated a woman as vice president, thus establishing a comfort zone for the self indulgent political liberals that want to strut their diversity,, but just cannot bring themselves to vote for a black man.. hey,, now they can vote for a white woman,, and isn’t that the next best thing??
meanwhile,, and seemingly through some slight of hand,, mccain has successfully taken the spotlight off himself,, his politics,, his ’stand on the issues’,, his background,, his level of experience,, and stands smiling in the wings as he watches the media devour the virtually unknown MILF that he is dangling before them like a pheromone scented hook(er) …
in conclusion,, while i will be the first to admit,, that i do not know much about politics,, i would like to believe i know a little bit about human behavior.. and from what i have seen thus far, i find it diffuicult to believe, that i am the only one that is looking on in horror, as the victor of this political freak show threatens to become the commander in chief of the country i call my home…. i think the mockery of human intelligence we have come to call the presidential election, has reached an all time low.. and i for one, am proud to say, that i will not be rewarding either party’s bad behavior,, with my vote…
September 17th, 2008 at 7:20 am
paisley,
I’m thinking that it’s a good thing that you and I inhabit opposite shores of this continent and therefore cannnot easily commiserate in person.
I disagree on only one point: I think presidential elections have alway been at this low level of integrity.
I started a piece along these lines last night, and if I don’t have to work on call I’ll finish it and post it tonight.
It’s titled:
How to change someone’s political opinion/choice.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:34 am
I think political correctness is the biggest wihtewash in history. Of course people think the same as they always did. Don’t get me wrong, I think most people are NOT racist, but the proportion that are still are. And to be honest, I’d rather know who they are so I can disagree with them rather than sweeping them under a threadbare carpet.
On the Palin issue, I think she’s too much of a wild card. And I never thought I’d ever say this, but if the Republicans win, I wish McCain good health over the next four years …
September 17th, 2008 at 7:49 am
“and i for one, am proud to say, that i will not be rewarding either party’s bad behavior,, with my vote…”
Amen sister!
Great post…really loved your insight.
September 17th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Did you see Palin’s doppleganger Tina Fey do her impression of Caribou Barbie on SNL?
“I can see Russia from my house”
I am not surprised by this Trojan Horse..seriously can America aford to have this Hockey Mom face off with Putin or any of the myriad of enemies that Dubya, Rove & Cheney have been poking in the eye for the last eight years? I think not.
“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” H. L. Mencken
Unfortunately the Ole Mason Dixon line still stands as a symbolic cultural boundary and there are far too many ‘voters’ who would never cast a ballot for a person of colour OR a woman, even if she’s just right of Attila and wants children to study Creation in school PUH-LEEZE!
Vote syphon and political gadfly Ralph Nader better keep his yapper shut..I’m glad that the Media is ignoring him…but who are you gonna vote for. If you don’t vote you don’t get to kvetch.
By November Palin will have been brought back down to Earth and the bipolarization will be laid bare and in full force…it will be a squeaker.
In a lot of ways America is still two countries…maybe more. If Obama loses the rest of the world may finally give up and move on.
September 17th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Great read!!! Here’s what I have learned…our vote does count in so many ways. After all how can we complain if we didn’t vote? There is so much at stake that I want to crawl in the hole I lived in for many years, eschewing newspapers and refusing to even talk about it! That is what happened to me after JFK was assassinated while I stood in a classroom of 4th graders. When LBJ took over he promised one thing did the exact opposite when he sent troops into Laos and the military sent white trains filled with toxic chemicals left over from that war to a dump less than a mile from my home. A good friend was shot down in Viet Nam. Bobby Kennedy was shot and Martin Luther King was gunned down. It all happened before I was thirty. I just crawled into a hole!!!
Now I worry about school vouchers, teaching creationism in the classroom and the trickle down theory of economics…in other words the Republican agenda.
So I say let the freak show continue. (I can honestly say I did not realize that Obama was black until early this year. Maybe I am coming to a time in my life when I can actually not care about race or gender anymore! Maybe?) But you are right black man and white female pretty much do cancel each other out. And I suppose that, if you were to choose to vote, you would choose the lesser of the two evils. The person really isn’t important. All I want is very smart…we have had dumb for 8 years and you know what, it hasn’t worked out so good. At this time in history, it is not really about the person so much as it is the political party. Isn’t that sad?
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September 17th, 2008 at 9:15 am
“while i will be the first to admit,, that i do not know much about politics,, i would like to believe i know a little bit about human behavior.. and from what i have seen thus far, i find it diffuicult to believe, that i am the only one that is looking on in horror, as the victor of this political freak show threatens to become the commander in chief of the country i call my home”
I could not have said THAT any better. Well Done
September 17th, 2008 at 11:43 am
This post is probably true after seeing how the choice of McCain’s VP evened up the race. I am an Independent and have stuck to the issues. Once I made my choice, recently, I don’t watch CNN anymore due to negativity. I feel I must vote but I could care less about gender or race. I have problems with both sides on certain issues.
Good post Jodi!
September 17th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I also like to avoid politics like the plague. I do have to disagree with you on one point. If Obama wins it will not be because he is a black man. Yes… there are those who support him because he is a black man. But I honestly think there are more who support him because he is not more of the same from the GOP. Many Americans feel that the past eight years have been bad for America and are looking for a change. They see McCain as more of the same, regardless of his assertions to the contrary. In November we’ll find out if the actual number of these people amounts to more than fifty percent of the voters.
September 17th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Well, I wanted Hillary for President, and not because she is a woman. Honestly. She has balls that neither of the men have – in my humble opinion, she understands how the political machine works, and she is smart as hell. Of course she’s far from perfect, but she has what I believe it would have taken to helm that office. Since she is no longer an option, I will – once again – vote for the person I believe to be the lesser of two evils, based on what he claims to be his stance on various issues, not because he is a black man.
September 17th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Ok, I am a progressive Democrat, so call me biased, but I believe far more whites are voting against Obama because he is black then for him because of it. As for blacks, given that they vote overwhelmingly Democratic anyway, while Obama benefited over Clinton with the black vote (she benefited on the female vote), he is attracting only slightly higher black support then other Democrats have gotten in the past. Oh, sure, there are certainly those who are voting for Obama to show their “enlightenment,” but I believe you paint with a broader brush here then is merited.
Is Obama the most qualified person in America for the presidency? Strictly on issues, no, though I would argue he is eminently more qualified then McCain for too many reasons to go into here. The days of electing the most qualified person for the job went away with the advent of 24 hour news and the unwillingness of people to become educated, truly educated, on issues. That said, given various traits, characteristics, temperament, leadership, and his positions on critical issues, Obama is a good enough candidate for me.
Ultimately, the reason for the downfall of our political system and the people we have running it is to be blamed squarely at the door of the American people. Because we do not demand that issues be addressed, because we settle for slogans and lies, because we do not involve ourselves, and most importantly, because we do not vote and make our voices heard in a real way, we get precisely what we deserve. Washington is a direct result of our own empathy and our need to either support less than ideal choices or condemn those choices without doing anything about it.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I keep putting off registering in Oregon. I don’t see that there is anything to vote for, only someone to vote against and that shouldn’t be the reason I vote. I’m thinking if I drag my feet long enough, it will be too late to vote for anyone or against anyone.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I think it’s wrong to reduce a person to only one aspect of his or her being, in this case race and gender. I disagree with Sarah Palin’s views, and I mistrust her some of her past actions, from what I’ve read and heard about her.
Barak Obama inspires me through his words. When he speaks, I’m electrified. Have you listened to his speech on racism? Here’s a link in case you’re interested.
Barak’s speech on racism in America
September 17th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Sorry, bad link. this one should work.
Barak’s speech on racism in America
September 18th, 2008 at 3:20 am
Great post and some really good points made, that are if we are all honest every day occurances. It is a shame that these so called political partys have to engage in these games with out actually being honest.
World and life would be so much better if we could all just be open and honest, and stop judging people….to be fair I never really care if someone male, female, black, green etc makes no odds it is who they are that is important, though people are always keen to place themselves up above others….!
September 18th, 2008 at 4:42 am
on the racism, pc issues you raise, this country is much smaller and more integrated and though we have issues, I think we are, on the whole, a far more tolerant people. Since I was young, things have changed radically and all for the better.
September 18th, 2008 at 5:44 am
Amen sista! But sadly, it’s always been this way. I’ve always voted on the lesser of two evils since the Reagan days. “pheromone scented hook(er) …” lol. You’d better hope the rep. don’t win; they may have you up on charges of tyrany or something. lol. PLL, CordieB.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Paisley, I’ve read with deep interest your surprising and quite astute rendering of your political opinions, and the various comments. I think I’ll limit my comment to: During my thirty years as a farmer’s wife, I came to know just how little the Republicans cared for the “common people”. I’m a Democrat and will vote for Obama come November the 4th, however, I just might pray for a wee touch of the flu . . . just bad enough to keep me home come election day . . . so that I might figuratively “wash my hands” of any responsibilty should Obama get himself elected and my vote prove to be a mistake. Problem is: I don’t believe in the efficacy of prayer, and I’ve never had a case of the flu during my entire life!
September 18th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Have to admit, not being eligible to vote I haven’t much been following the campaigns.
September 19th, 2008 at 12:23 am
I’m on the other side of the water, from over here Palin looks scary and Obama looks like a breath of fresh air though when all the campaigning started i would have put myself in Clinton’s camp.
I’m not sure though that our country is as integrated as Jo thinks, i know how much racism hangs around now here these days.
September 19th, 2008 at 7:29 am
My sister lives in North Carolina and has admitted to me that although she has voted Democrat in the past she won’t vote for Obama because he is black. She feels the reason he has received such support is because of his colour not his policies. You are right – it is a freak show. I support Obama which is a moot point really because I can’t vote all the way down here. This was a very well-considered argument. You would make such a good sociologist.
September 19th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Boy Jodi can you write an articulate, insightful, spirited post!
I think you should send this to the NY times, seriously.
I so agree with you on so much that you say.
Can you just imagine Palin with a room full of foreign dignitaries?
I’m afraid she would address them with “dude”.
September 20th, 2008 at 8:10 am
This is addressed more to Selma, than anyone else. I cannot help by compare the Democrat’s choice of Obama to what I experienced when the prosecuters at O J Simpson’s murder trial smugly asked Simpson to try on the gloves he had worn the night his wife was murdered. “No,” I shouted. “They won’t fit!”
How did I know they would not fit? I had had a pair much like them and from the same company. They became wet one snowy day and I did not dry them properly. They shrunk so badly I threw them away. Well, had I any say in choosing Obama for democrat nominee for President, I would have shouted out, “No! It’s at least one, if not two campaigns too early. “I fear there are far more voters like your sister, Selma, than democrats realize.
September 20th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Mary. I truly hope not. My vote goes to Obama because his is the only rational and intelligent voice I hear. His color doesn’t matter, nor does the fact that he was never a prisoner of war and never–so far as I know–has he shot a moose. My vote will not count, as I live in the reddest of all the red states, and I am in a distinct minority. Nevertheless, it is MY vote, and I will cast it.
September 20th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Before I go off on my tangent, great post, Paisley, you shared and allowed us our forum. I hate politics, more than I dislike the smoke and mirrors of magic, but for similar reasons. I do not vote, no, make that did not. I will vote this time and I will vote for Obama. I do not know if he is the right person, but I truly believe Palin is the wrong person to be part of a presidency, if for no other than I fear the America that was created to keep church and state separate and thus open to all religions, or none, will be that much closer to being destroyed. Not voting is not taking a stand on anything, I’ve done that wrong all along. Black, white, female, male, it matters not to me, and though I think tolerance has changed genuinely in some for the good, I think in others it has only decreased and spread outward.
September 20th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Yes, I know there are those who will vote for Obama simply because he’s black. I’m voting for him because his views make the most sense to me. I am sick of the ineptitude of the last 8 years and I fear McCain will keep up the same ole same ole plus the fact that he is war-hungry, no matter what he says to the contrary.
Palin is a disgrace to womanhood – her views are archaic and simplistic. She knows virtually nothing about foreign affairs and has outright lied about several issues in her stump speeches. It horrifies me to think she could possibly end up as Commander-in-chief.
Any Hillary Clinton supporter who would vote McCain-Palin is obviously only interested in a woman in power. That is cutting off your nose to spite your face.
September 21st, 2008 at 4:53 am
I love this political post! The truth is, the president is just a corporate front man – while people bicker back and forth, it doesn’t matter. We need a revolution – march in the streets and demand a new government altogether. Wow, there’s a lot of Palin haters in here…hahaha! Don’t worry, both candidates will not be able to change anything. America is a broke corporation. A socialistic police state is coming and there’s nothing we can do.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:57 am
[...] out Paisley’s vicious rant – I can feel her angst in Political Freak Show. She sums it up [...]
September 30th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Well said, of course. I can’t not give you that since I always enjoy your writing. But I completely disagree with any idea of a vote being a reward. Far too many people say that they’ll refrain from voting and when that happens — especially when they’re intelligent like you — then what’s left are those who do what you’ve mentioned above: blindly follow a party, or ignore everything but that a candidate is black, or a female, or a veteran, or…I honestly don’t think this election has been anywhere near as bizarre as others — lengthy, yes, but just remembering four years ago makes me crazy. But not nearly as crazy a some of those who claim to be uninterested, uninvolved, and sure that the sky is falling. I figure when all someone wants to do is complain rather than get involved, that unfortunately they’re part of the problem. Wow. This is about as worked up as I’ve been in a while. Guess I better get my soap box back out to fight off the “I didn’t vote for either” crowd. Hmmm…Now that I think of it, maybe I should start production of those bumper stickers. Looks like there could be a run on that market. How sad. But what do my opinions count for? I’m only Rebecca of Freaking Sunnybrook Road. Feh.