FOLLOW THE LEADER
*
Eight years ago when Bush was elected, I was too young to vote. Of course, I voted against him in 2004...I voted for John Kerry, who I have to say is a pretty unmemorable guy. Hardly anyone really wanted Kerry to win - they just wanted George W. Bush to lose. I was with them, but Kerry's loss wasn't a surprise, and wasn't that big of a disappointment. Many might disagree, but all it really meant was four more years of what we'd just lived with. I don't remember what John Kerry actually stood for anymore, or maybe I never knew. I don't remember a single thing he said. Maybe, given a chance, he'd have changed this. But it makes me think he didn't deserve to be president. That's why he lost.
And that's why Barack Obama won. Because he's worthy.
Even if he'd lost, nobody would forget Barack Obama. He has charisma. He's inspiring. Last night, I was aware that I was witnessing history in the making during his speech, and I knew I would always remember how his words made me feel. That's why he was elected. He's positive. We've had so much negativity, for such a very long time, and yet he's still capable of making us feel good. And allowing us to believe that things can improve. John McCain didn't say that - at least, not with any conviction. Obama isn't just "the guy we'll elect so the Republicans don't win." He's not what John Kerry, and to an extent, Al Gore, were. He's the kind of guy you put on a dollar - not now, but in the future, maybe, when the economy improves and we actually have cash again.
I don't think John McCain would have been a bad president to us, but it's not a good time for a mediocre one. Obama's "change" platform was more than a winning slogan - we actually really need it. He's been pretty upfront about the fact that it won't happen overnight, and he won't be able to work every miracle we're asking of him. But that's not what it's about. More than anything, we need to change our mindset in this country. People are angry at Bush, and angry at this country - within it - and externally, it's even worse. The most important thing to me in this election has always been our international image, which is why I was always for Barack (sorry, Hillary). How we look to the rest of the world is ultimately more important than any national issue.
From what I understand, not long ago, America was a country that the rest of the world looked to primarily with respect and awe. Now, it's fear, ridicule, and hatred - not cute. But this is recent, and reversible. A win from McCain would not have changed that image. Globally, a win from McCain would only signify that we haven't learned anything from Bush's two terms, that we haven't listened to our critics, and that we haven't changed. But we have, as proven yesterday. If the rest of the world hates us, looks down on us, disparages us, it's only a matter of time before we fall. I don't think many people realize how vulnerable and weak worldwide loathing makes us. In that respect, I think a win for McCain/Palin could have been a disaster. I'm sure John and Sarah are disappointed today, but I think they dodged a bullet. Bush has inspired an entire industry of abhorrence - T-shirts, bumper stickers, entire kiosks on Venice Beach devoted to paraphernalia promoting hatred of this man. We all know how the rest of the world feels about him. McCain and Palin would likely very easily find themselves in the same boat, with a hole in it, surrounded by pissed off sharks that Bush just spent 8 years whacking over the head with a baseball bat. In another year, they might be judged on their own merits, but right now they'd be faced with the impossible task of cleaning up the mess Bush left for any Republican who purported to fill his shoes. Maybe that's why he never really sounded like he wanted to be president. Maybe that's why he sounded relieved in his concession speech.
Of course, now it's Obama who will be the target of hatred - not abroad, but domestically. It's scary to think that there are still abhorrent racists out there who can be so outspoken about prejudices that should have died forty years ago (or, really, never existed at all). I don't want to have to mention this, but on the subject of hatred, I have to. It's always the conservatives who kill the progressive ones, and some of our greatest leaders have been the ones who were assassinated for that very fact. I hope people give him a chance, because it's really stupid - now that the votes are in - to stay divided and stew in bitterness. (I'd feel the same way if McCain won.) Obama is President, deal with it. The man is trying to do us all a number of much-needed favors, people. I truly believe that. Let's help him out.
And now, for Proposition 8. I'm in the minority (ha) on this one, in that, now that it has passed, I don't really care. I did care. I thought it was really important for it to pass, and really wanted it to. I've never been a big proponent for gay marriage, mostly because I didn't feel it was the right time to push the issue. Old minds are set in their ways, whereas the youngest few generations are growing up in a totally different and much more diverse and tolerant world. I don't think that in 10 or 20 years there is any doubt that the majority of Americans will be completely familiar with and comfortable with homosexuality - but older voters are simply from another time and can't be expected to see things the way they're going.
I think the majority of people who voted "Yes" on 8 did so rather indifferently and out of ignorance. If I found out that someone voted "Yes" on 8, my feelings about them would change for the worse. I think denying rights to anyone is a backward direction for our country. So I have little respect for anyone who would vote this way. But I also understand that most of the people who voted "Yes" probably have a lot of misconceptions about gay people - particularly older people, whose ideas are outdated. Being gay is not what it was ten, twenty, thirty, or fifty years ago, and without evidence of that, people can't necessarily see that. In a city like Los Angeles...and for people in high schools and colleges in all but the most conservative places...it's easy to imagine what the world would be like if gay people were upfront and equal, because they already are. But not everyone has seen such evidence. I don't think it's about a win or a loss, but the fact that there were so many people who Proposition 8 doesn't personally effect willing to help out is inspiring. Supposedly, gays make up only 10% of the population, and yet way more than that voted "No." Almost half. At Starbucks yesterday there was a toddler with a "Vote No on 8" sticker on her shirt, which made me feel great. That girl will be able to vote in about 15 years, and things will be different then - if not sooner. So while I'm disappointed that Proposition 8 passed, I'm not angry, because I don't see hate as the predominant reason for it. I know, just as I have suspected all along, that we just aren't there yet. It'd be nice if we were, particularly in a progressive and influential state like California, but we're just not. We will be, someday, though.
I do have another, more personal reason why Prop 8's passing doesn't bother me much - and that is that it's simply not my fight, as much as many of my peers are trying to make it sound like mine. I'm not looking to get married any time soon. I can understand why other people - especially those that do want to get married, or already were - would want to take up this fight now. But I don't. At a "No on 8" fundraiser a few weeks ago, someone was adamantly trying to get me to participate in the phone banks, and I kept saying no, it wasn't my cause. "I feel discriminated against every day!" he said to me, to which I replied, "Well, I don't." And then he said: "Well, I envy your privileged life." Well, I don't know how privileged it is, but I do know that I've never let my sexuality define me or made it the predominant aspect of my personality. I live in Los Angeles and work in the entertainment industry, and in that sense, yeah I'm privileged to be in about the most liberal place on earth. This isn't to say I never encounter any negativity form it and don't feel slightly wounded when that happens - I feel about the same as if someone walked by and said they didn't like anything else about me - the way I looked, or talked, or whatever - which has also happened before. I know Christians who probably believe that I'm going to Hell if I don't stop sinning and repent, which isn't a great feeling, but I don't really engage in discussions about it. Why would I? The times in which I actually experience a direct, negative affront to me because of my sexuality are exceedingly rare, and hardly worth mentioning, let alone considering. I bet I get at least a hundred times more negativity from the gay community than from anyone outside it, but that'll take me off on a tangent. My point is only that my life today continued exactly the same as it did before Proposition 8 passed. It doesn't affect me. I feel for those it does affect, and hope for the speediest favorable resolution possible. I also feel let down by the majority of my fellow Californians, since it would have been so great if we had gone along with the tide of progress and change that came from Obama's win. It would have been a great feeling.
But my disappointment in some Californians is far outweighed by my pride in the majority of Americans, and when you compare the passing of Proposition 8 to the win of Barack Obama, there's no question which one is more significant and monumental. Obama's loss would have been, in so many ways, devastating. A sad message to Americans that white conservatives can't be beaten; a troublesome message to the rest of the world that we are unwilling to change. Now the world will see that America is not George W. Bush. That there are so many of us who don't support what he stood for. The whole world is celebrating.
Yesterday there was such a wonderful, positive vibe in the air. People felt good, people were excited, people felt things were changing. People were happy, all day long. When was the last time that happened? I know that mood was for one day only, and it's naive to think that with Barack Obama as president, we'll feel it every day. But it's a step toward that, because above all, that's what he stands for. And it's long past time for Americans to stop hating their president, and their government, and to feel powerless to change any of it. Obama's win is no panacea, but it's a step in the right direction - a colossal one. I don't know how many more wrong steps America could take before things went from bad to worse. A lot was at stake, and we won. And by "we," I mean all of us. (You'll see.)
I don't feel bad about Proposition 8's passing because I feel good about something that is so much more important. I refuse to focus on the negative today. I just don't want to hear it. There's a lot to be said for feeling good and focusing on what's positive. That's what Barack Obama would do - and for the first time in a long time, I think it's safe to follow the leader.
Eight years ago when Bush was elected, I was too young to vote. Of course, I voted against him in 2004...I voted for John Kerry, who I have to say is a pretty unmemorable guy. Hardly anyone really wanted Kerry to win - they just wanted George W. Bush to lose. I was with them, but Kerry's loss wasn't a surprise, and wasn't that big of a disappointment. Many might disagree, but all it really meant was four more years of what we'd just lived with. I don't remember what John Kerry actually stood for anymore, or maybe I never knew. I don't remember a single thing he said. Maybe, given a chance, he'd have changed this. But it makes me think he didn't deserve to be president. That's why he lost.
And that's why Barack Obama won. Because he's worthy.
Even if he'd lost, nobody would forget Barack Obama. He has charisma. He's inspiring. Last night, I was aware that I was witnessing history in the making during his speech, and I knew I would always remember how his words made me feel. That's why he was elected. He's positive. We've had so much negativity, for such a very long time, and yet he's still capable of making us feel good. And allowing us to believe that things can improve. John McCain didn't say that - at least, not with any conviction. Obama isn't just "the guy we'll elect so the Republicans don't win." He's not what John Kerry, and to an extent, Al Gore, were. He's the kind of guy you put on a dollar - not now, but in the future, maybe, when the economy improves and we actually have cash again.
I don't think John McCain would have been a bad president to us, but it's not a good time for a mediocre one. Obama's "change" platform was more than a winning slogan - we actually really need it. He's been pretty upfront about the fact that it won't happen overnight, and he won't be able to work every miracle we're asking of him. But that's not what it's about. More than anything, we need to change our mindset in this country. People are angry at Bush, and angry at this country - within it - and externally, it's even worse. The most important thing to me in this election has always been our international image, which is why I was always for Barack (sorry, Hillary). How we look to the rest of the world is ultimately more important than any national issue.
From what I understand, not long ago, America was a country that the rest of the world looked to primarily with respect and awe. Now, it's fear, ridicule, and hatred - not cute. But this is recent, and reversible. A win from McCain would not have changed that image. Globally, a win from McCain would only signify that we haven't learned anything from Bush's two terms, that we haven't listened to our critics, and that we haven't changed. But we have, as proven yesterday. If the rest of the world hates us, looks down on us, disparages us, it's only a matter of time before we fall. I don't think many people realize how vulnerable and weak worldwide loathing makes us. In that respect, I think a win for McCain/Palin could have been a disaster. I'm sure John and Sarah are disappointed today, but I think they dodged a bullet. Bush has inspired an entire industry of abhorrence - T-shirts, bumper stickers, entire kiosks on Venice Beach devoted to paraphernalia promoting hatred of this man. We all know how the rest of the world feels about him. McCain and Palin would likely very easily find themselves in the same boat, with a hole in it, surrounded by pissed off sharks that Bush just spent 8 years whacking over the head with a baseball bat. In another year, they might be judged on their own merits, but right now they'd be faced with the impossible task of cleaning up the mess Bush left for any Republican who purported to fill his shoes. Maybe that's why he never really sounded like he wanted to be president. Maybe that's why he sounded relieved in his concession speech.
Of course, now it's Obama who will be the target of hatred - not abroad, but domestically. It's scary to think that there are still abhorrent racists out there who can be so outspoken about prejudices that should have died forty years ago (or, really, never existed at all). I don't want to have to mention this, but on the subject of hatred, I have to. It's always the conservatives who kill the progressive ones, and some of our greatest leaders have been the ones who were assassinated for that very fact. I hope people give him a chance, because it's really stupid - now that the votes are in - to stay divided and stew in bitterness. (I'd feel the same way if McCain won.) Obama is President, deal with it. The man is trying to do us all a number of much-needed favors, people. I truly believe that. Let's help him out.
And now, for Proposition 8. I'm in the minority (ha) on this one, in that, now that it has passed, I don't really care. I did care. I thought it was really important for it to pass, and really wanted it to. I've never been a big proponent for gay marriage, mostly because I didn't feel it was the right time to push the issue. Old minds are set in their ways, whereas the youngest few generations are growing up in a totally different and much more diverse and tolerant world. I don't think that in 10 or 20 years there is any doubt that the majority of Americans will be completely familiar with and comfortable with homosexuality - but older voters are simply from another time and can't be expected to see things the way they're going.
I think the majority of people who voted "Yes" on 8 did so rather indifferently and out of ignorance. If I found out that someone voted "Yes" on 8, my feelings about them would change for the worse. I think denying rights to anyone is a backward direction for our country. So I have little respect for anyone who would vote this way. But I also understand that most of the people who voted "Yes" probably have a lot of misconceptions about gay people - particularly older people, whose ideas are outdated. Being gay is not what it was ten, twenty, thirty, or fifty years ago, and without evidence of that, people can't necessarily see that. In a city like Los Angeles...and for people in high schools and colleges in all but the most conservative places...it's easy to imagine what the world would be like if gay people were upfront and equal, because they already are. But not everyone has seen such evidence. I don't think it's about a win or a loss, but the fact that there were so many people who Proposition 8 doesn't personally effect willing to help out is inspiring. Supposedly, gays make up only 10% of the population, and yet way more than that voted "No." Almost half. At Starbucks yesterday there was a toddler with a "Vote No on 8" sticker on her shirt, which made me feel great. That girl will be able to vote in about 15 years, and things will be different then - if not sooner. So while I'm disappointed that Proposition 8 passed, I'm not angry, because I don't see hate as the predominant reason for it. I know, just as I have suspected all along, that we just aren't there yet. It'd be nice if we were, particularly in a progressive and influential state like California, but we're just not. We will be, someday, though.
I do have another, more personal reason why Prop 8's passing doesn't bother me much - and that is that it's simply not my fight, as much as many of my peers are trying to make it sound like mine. I'm not looking to get married any time soon. I can understand why other people - especially those that do want to get married, or already were - would want to take up this fight now. But I don't. At a "No on 8" fundraiser a few weeks ago, someone was adamantly trying to get me to participate in the phone banks, and I kept saying no, it wasn't my cause. "I feel discriminated against every day!" he said to me, to which I replied, "Well, I don't." And then he said: "Well, I envy your privileged life." Well, I don't know how privileged it is, but I do know that I've never let my sexuality define me or made it the predominant aspect of my personality. I live in Los Angeles and work in the entertainment industry, and in that sense, yeah I'm privileged to be in about the most liberal place on earth. This isn't to say I never encounter any negativity form it and don't feel slightly wounded when that happens - I feel about the same as if someone walked by and said they didn't like anything else about me - the way I looked, or talked, or whatever - which has also happened before. I know Christians who probably believe that I'm going to Hell if I don't stop sinning and repent, which isn't a great feeling, but I don't really engage in discussions about it. Why would I? The times in which I actually experience a direct, negative affront to me because of my sexuality are exceedingly rare, and hardly worth mentioning, let alone considering. I bet I get at least a hundred times more negativity from the gay community than from anyone outside it, but that'll take me off on a tangent. My point is only that my life today continued exactly the same as it did before Proposition 8 passed. It doesn't affect me. I feel for those it does affect, and hope for the speediest favorable resolution possible. I also feel let down by the majority of my fellow Californians, since it would have been so great if we had gone along with the tide of progress and change that came from Obama's win. It would have been a great feeling.
But my disappointment in some Californians is far outweighed by my pride in the majority of Americans, and when you compare the passing of Proposition 8 to the win of Barack Obama, there's no question which one is more significant and monumental. Obama's loss would have been, in so many ways, devastating. A sad message to Americans that white conservatives can't be beaten; a troublesome message to the rest of the world that we are unwilling to change. Now the world will see that America is not George W. Bush. That there are so many of us who don't support what he stood for. The whole world is celebrating.
Yesterday there was such a wonderful, positive vibe in the air. People felt good, people were excited, people felt things were changing. People were happy, all day long. When was the last time that happened? I know that mood was for one day only, and it's naive to think that with Barack Obama as president, we'll feel it every day. But it's a step toward that, because above all, that's what he stands for. And it's long past time for Americans to stop hating their president, and their government, and to feel powerless to change any of it. Obama's win is no panacea, but it's a step in the right direction - a colossal one. I don't know how many more wrong steps America could take before things went from bad to worse. A lot was at stake, and we won. And by "we," I mean all of us. (You'll see.)
I don't feel bad about Proposition 8's passing because I feel good about something that is so much more important. I refuse to focus on the negative today. I just don't want to hear it. There's a lot to be said for feeling good and focusing on what's positive. That's what Barack Obama would do - and for the first time in a long time, I think it's safe to follow the leader.