Maybe I'm out of line...
...but that's it, I'm tired of it. I have reached a crescendo... or something.
I hate it when down-homey conservatives chastise liberals claiming they're "unamerican" or "hate America." Now, I know this is an old, damn-near-mummified horse to beat, but who the FUCK gave them the right to claim what "America" is, or what "loving America" means? More people live in cities now (and apparently have since 1910) than live in "small towns" so their fucking "small town values" are not even what the majority experiences, let alone probably believes. If the interviews on the Daily Show can be any indication (which they can't) they don't even know what "small town values" are, other than maybe gun ownership and heterosexual marriage. Oh yeah, and anti-intellectualism.
Don't get me wrong, I understand wanting your leader to understand you, your problems, where you're coming from. But that doesn't mean that I equate leadership with similarity to myself. I believe that an "elite," in the intellectual, learned, charismatic sense of the word, is perfectly capable of understanding my needs, your needs, and the needs of Jon Q. Neighbor, while at the same time making a damn fine LEADER (exhibiting proper judgment, thoughtfulness, awareness of tact and strategy in global affairs, etc).
I'm tired of rich white guys, born into wealth and privilege, selling themselves as Everymen to the American people so they can line their pockets or push agendas contrary to the interests of the people that vote them in. I don't care if they think they have the interests of the American people at heart. They're wrong. See generally The Current State of the Economy; see also Golden Parachutes.
I'm tired of people telling me, or people like me, that I hate America because I want America to treat everyone equally, to provide help to the poor, and to care more about its own citizens than it does the fucking GDP. I understand that a high GDP is a great indicator of "success" in the global market, and with it, we can throw our weight around, but I refuse on principle to believe that the GDP is a PROPER measure of national success generally.
I'm tired, and it's bed time.
I hate it when down-homey conservatives chastise liberals claiming they're "unamerican" or "hate America." Now, I know this is an old, damn-near-mummified horse to beat, but who the FUCK gave them the right to claim what "America" is, or what "loving America" means? More people live in cities now (and apparently have since 1910) than live in "small towns" so their fucking "small town values" are not even what the majority experiences, let alone probably believes. If the interviews on the Daily Show can be any indication (which they can't) they don't even know what "small town values" are, other than maybe gun ownership and heterosexual marriage. Oh yeah, and anti-intellectualism.
Don't get me wrong, I understand wanting your leader to understand you, your problems, where you're coming from. But that doesn't mean that I equate leadership with similarity to myself. I believe that an "elite," in the intellectual, learned, charismatic sense of the word, is perfectly capable of understanding my needs, your needs, and the needs of Jon Q. Neighbor, while at the same time making a damn fine LEADER (exhibiting proper judgment, thoughtfulness, awareness of tact and strategy in global affairs, etc).
I'm tired of rich white guys, born into wealth and privilege, selling themselves as Everymen to the American people so they can line their pockets or push agendas contrary to the interests of the people that vote them in. I don't care if they think they have the interests of the American people at heart. They're wrong. See generally The Current State of the Economy; see also Golden Parachutes.
I'm tired of people telling me, or people like me, that I hate America because I want America to treat everyone equally, to provide help to the poor, and to care more about its own citizens than it does the fucking GDP. I understand that a high GDP is a great indicator of "success" in the global market, and with it, we can throw our weight around, but I refuse on principle to believe that the GDP is a PROPER measure of national success generally.
I'm tired, and it's bed time.