Choosing cards and dealing with the somplexities
Ok. I was out and about a cupla weeks ago, trying to find a card for a friend who was just back from his Father's funeral. I Totally feel let down by the whole greeting card industry.
Admittedly, it's hard to find a card that says the emotional equivalent of "I'm here for you and understand your feelings, even though you had a hateful relationship with him but still had to go see his dead ass in the box" Still, there should have been something like that available. we've had hundreds of years now to perfect the art of the greeting card. I would have even been happy with a blank card with a picture of a bulldog on the front; I could have written better schlock than half of what I read.
I read about the Arkansas school board member who resigned his seat because of his anti-gay comments on his Facebook page. He was backpedaling like nobody's business, saying he didn't think kids should kill themselves. or be bullied. No commentaries about the "i'm glad gay people give each other AIDS and die" comment though. The school board weren't any better for all their "we completely disagree with his comments sort of commentary. Reminded me of a quote I live from Ursula Leguin in left Hand of Darkness.
The gist of the quote is that it doesn't matter whether you are for or against a subject. both sides are "on the same road". Only by forging a new path do we ever escape the road and become free. I hope we can find a new road soon. I'm getting mighty tired of these cobblestones.
It occurs to me that we have a real problem; people are becoming very polarized on issues, and this could lead only to one of two ends in my mind. We either have to sit each other's asses down and say "Look, we don't have to agree on everything, but we have to allow each other to be. We have to be able to live with each other..." or we start racking up the body count in an eventual jihad across social lines. when people can't agree to let each other live when it comes down to children seeing their lives as hopeless and ended and then making their perceptions reality, we are bound to have a bad millennium or two.
I'd like to be able to tell my brother's twin girls that there is hope for the world, but i'm simply not sure any more.
Admittedly, it's hard to find a card that says the emotional equivalent of "I'm here for you and understand your feelings, even though you had a hateful relationship with him but still had to go see his dead ass in the box" Still, there should have been something like that available. we've had hundreds of years now to perfect the art of the greeting card. I would have even been happy with a blank card with a picture of a bulldog on the front; I could have written better schlock than half of what I read.
I read about the Arkansas school board member who resigned his seat because of his anti-gay comments on his Facebook page. He was backpedaling like nobody's business, saying he didn't think kids should kill themselves. or be bullied. No commentaries about the "i'm glad gay people give each other AIDS and die" comment though. The school board weren't any better for all their "we completely disagree with his comments sort of commentary. Reminded me of a quote I live from Ursula Leguin in left Hand of Darkness.
The gist of the quote is that it doesn't matter whether you are for or against a subject. both sides are "on the same road". Only by forging a new path do we ever escape the road and become free. I hope we can find a new road soon. I'm getting mighty tired of these cobblestones.
It occurs to me that we have a real problem; people are becoming very polarized on issues, and this could lead only to one of two ends in my mind. We either have to sit each other's asses down and say "Look, we don't have to agree on everything, but we have to allow each other to be. We have to be able to live with each other..." or we start racking up the body count in an eventual jihad across social lines. when people can't agree to let each other live when it comes down to children seeing their lives as hopeless and ended and then making their perceptions reality, we are bound to have a bad millennium or two.
I'd like to be able to tell my brother's twin girls that there is hope for the world, but i'm simply not sure any more.