The revolution will not be televised.
You knew it was comin'... My election thoughts.
So I cried. I admit it. I went from being perfectly content and full of hope, to incredibly saddened without knowing exactly why. I mean, nobody had died, it wasn't personal, I should be upset, but not devastated, right? Yeah, right.
Joyous and I drowned our sorrow in sushi and "Ray" (an excellent movie by the way) and every now and then I'd look at her and go, "What do we do now?" And she'd answer, "I don't know." Then we'd sigh and stare off into space.
So Wednesday was full of funk and depression. Then Thursday was just angry. I won't go into detail.
So that's it. My two days to pout. I figure if that's all I get for losing an audition, that's all I get losing an election. I'm avoiding a lot of the political sites that I used to visit before the election, because I just can't fall into the what I'm seeing on these other websites. Youth bashing because the 18-30 vote was even and 31-44 vote was down. Red state bashing because the red state are obviously full of homophobic rednecks who don't know their asshole from their earhole. They voted for Bush, so 51% of the voting population must be stupid, right? Right! Let's gather the wagons and hate on everyone. Let's riot in the streets, let's move to Canada, let's just hate everyone who's against, right? Who's with me!!!
Fuck that. If you voted for Bush, yeah, I think it's stupid. And misguided. And fueled by fear. But you voted, and that's what we do in America. We express our opinion, we use it through the political machine and we live with the majority's choices. And when those don't opinions aren't ours, it sucks, but that's life.
So what DO we do now? Well, me? I'm gonna own up to being a bad American. I voted with my heart and my morals and didn't get it. Why? Cause I didn't do a damn thing before that. So I made a few phone calls to other Kerry supporters in swing states. I bitched on LJ. I cast my vote with hope and righteous indignation and with the knowledge that *I* was doing the right thing by voting for Kerry. I wore my Democrat/Green Party badge with pride.
But what the hell did I do for the party beforehand? Not a fucking thing. Last election I didn't do shit, lost and then bitched about it. This time I'm actually doing something.
So I'm a Democrat. When's the last time I actually did something for the party? At the local level? At any level? I cast one vote and then cry cause I can't reap any benefits? I'm a brat.
When's the last time I did anything that the party is supposed to stand for? Just because I don't let people say faggot or nigger around me doesn't mean I really did anything for gay or civil rights. Just cause I recycle my cans doesn't mean I'm an environmentalist. I've been living under the assumption that just doing a little is enough. Well, enough of that shit, time to stop sitting on my ass.
And time to actually honor my parents. My dad came to America, joined the military, married a white women when it wasn't really that okay to do so, and worked his ass off so I can be an American and have all the things he didn't have. (Granted, those things include TV and indoor plumbing and never having to depend on a man (other than him), so he thinks I'm doing good. And I am, but I need more.) My mom got out of her hick Yankee town and its small-minded ideas and married the man she loved and gave up a military career to raise her kid in a real home with at least one parent always around. They made it possible for me to even BE a snotty Democrat. Hating those who think like my dad isn't productive. So they won. Crying about it isn't going to keep them from winning next time.
But I gotta try to do something. We made a big dent, gotta make it bigger. It's not a real victory unless I help make it. Not just politically. I'm a bone marrow donor now, I need to donate more blood, only 10% of the world has B+ blood. I belong to In2Books.org, where we read books with other kids and encourage them to read, so at least I'm helping literacy. But I'm not visiting The Hunger Site like I used to. I scream about women's rights, but I haven't actually done anything to keep our bodies our own. Texas just passed a new set of health textbooks that don't even MENTION contraception. That is ri-goddamn-diculous.
So what does a dramaturg do when faced with lack of knowledge, whether it be about what to do with your life, or what food they ate in 18th century Norway? She goes searching. I've got ideas on how to volunteer, but this LJ entry has most of them in one place. Check it out.
And I'm going to grad school. Or getting a theatre job. Being inert in Dallas is not what I want to do, and my parents didn't work their asses off and give me an education so I can answer phones at a liquor company. Something about being scared for your country kinda spurns you into action.
So where am I gonna be when the revolution comes? Probably in the back, reading to a kid so they will be literate enough to enjoy their freedom. Better than sitting at home, watching CSI. (I'll do that on my off days. Cause CSI...that's good stuff.)
End rant.
So I cried. I admit it. I went from being perfectly content and full of hope, to incredibly saddened without knowing exactly why. I mean, nobody had died, it wasn't personal, I should be upset, but not devastated, right? Yeah, right.
Joyous and I drowned our sorrow in sushi and "Ray" (an excellent movie by the way) and every now and then I'd look at her and go, "What do we do now?" And she'd answer, "I don't know." Then we'd sigh and stare off into space.
So Wednesday was full of funk and depression. Then Thursday was just angry. I won't go into detail.
So that's it. My two days to pout. I figure if that's all I get for losing an audition, that's all I get losing an election. I'm avoiding a lot of the political sites that I used to visit before the election, because I just can't fall into the what I'm seeing on these other websites. Youth bashing because the 18-30 vote was even and 31-44 vote was down. Red state bashing because the red state are obviously full of homophobic rednecks who don't know their asshole from their earhole. They voted for Bush, so 51% of the voting population must be stupid, right? Right! Let's gather the wagons and hate on everyone. Let's riot in the streets, let's move to Canada, let's just hate everyone who's against, right? Who's with me!!!
Fuck that. If you voted for Bush, yeah, I think it's stupid. And misguided. And fueled by fear. But you voted, and that's what we do in America. We express our opinion, we use it through the political machine and we live with the majority's choices. And when those don't opinions aren't ours, it sucks, but that's life.
So what DO we do now? Well, me? I'm gonna own up to being a bad American. I voted with my heart and my morals and didn't get it. Why? Cause I didn't do a damn thing before that. So I made a few phone calls to other Kerry supporters in swing states. I bitched on LJ. I cast my vote with hope and righteous indignation and with the knowledge that *I* was doing the right thing by voting for Kerry. I wore my Democrat/Green Party badge with pride.
But what the hell did I do for the party beforehand? Not a fucking thing. Last election I didn't do shit, lost and then bitched about it. This time I'm actually doing something.
So I'm a Democrat. When's the last time I actually did something for the party? At the local level? At any level? I cast one vote and then cry cause I can't reap any benefits? I'm a brat.
When's the last time I did anything that the party is supposed to stand for? Just because I don't let people say faggot or nigger around me doesn't mean I really did anything for gay or civil rights. Just cause I recycle my cans doesn't mean I'm an environmentalist. I've been living under the assumption that just doing a little is enough. Well, enough of that shit, time to stop sitting on my ass.
And time to actually honor my parents. My dad came to America, joined the military, married a white women when it wasn't really that okay to do so, and worked his ass off so I can be an American and have all the things he didn't have. (Granted, those things include TV and indoor plumbing and never having to depend on a man (other than him), so he thinks I'm doing good. And I am, but I need more.) My mom got out of her hick Yankee town and its small-minded ideas and married the man she loved and gave up a military career to raise her kid in a real home with at least one parent always around. They made it possible for me to even BE a snotty Democrat. Hating those who think like my dad isn't productive. So they won. Crying about it isn't going to keep them from winning next time.
But I gotta try to do something. We made a big dent, gotta make it bigger. It's not a real victory unless I help make it. Not just politically. I'm a bone marrow donor now, I need to donate more blood, only 10% of the world has B+ blood. I belong to In2Books.org, where we read books with other kids and encourage them to read, so at least I'm helping literacy. But I'm not visiting The Hunger Site like I used to. I scream about women's rights, but I haven't actually done anything to keep our bodies our own. Texas just passed a new set of health textbooks that don't even MENTION contraception. That is ri-goddamn-diculous.
So what does a dramaturg do when faced with lack of knowledge, whether it be about what to do with your life, or what food they ate in 18th century Norway? She goes searching. I've got ideas on how to volunteer, but this LJ entry has most of them in one place. Check it out.
And I'm going to grad school. Or getting a theatre job. Being inert in Dallas is not what I want to do, and my parents didn't work their asses off and give me an education so I can answer phones at a liquor company. Something about being scared for your country kinda spurns you into action.
So where am I gonna be when the revolution comes? Probably in the back, reading to a kid so they will be literate enough to enjoy their freedom. Better than sitting at home, watching CSI. (I'll do that on my off days. Cause CSI...that's good stuff.)
End rant.