Hey- I posted this last nite and then took it down about 1 hour later. To me, even tho I still get riled up by politics these days, I don't get as riled and it seemed to me that I'm kind of outgrowing the need to vent about every little thing that annoys me. It also occurred to me that however carefully I tried to make it clear that I do NOT think conservatives are bad (simply different from me), I am simply not a good enough writer to deal in such nuance and I could easily see the piece being taken as an insult to conservatives. And the thing is, I have relatives I love who are conservatives, I have people I work with and respect who are conservatives. And so it seemed to me to make the most sense to just remove the piece.
The other two reasons I took it down were:
a- there was nothing I was saying that you have not heard-via a much more educated take- in many other places.
b- a kind poster named Jeff commented on the post and had a pretty convincing argument (and visual aid) that the majority of the country does not engage in such black and white thinking. Jeff's post changed my mind and thus, negated the vast majority of the post.
For all of those reasons, I took the post down.
And then some brave dude posting under the name ANONYMOUS decided to repost my write up for me in the comment section.
And then another brave dude posting under the same name- same person?- decided to tell me that my blog was for gaming info and nothing else.
So fuck it, I'm gonna respost it.
Are my buttons that easy to press? Kinda.
Are two of my easiest buttons to press the 'NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN NOT WRITE ABOUT' button and the 'NO ONE CAN TRY TO INTIMIDATE ME WITH MY OWN WORDS...IF I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE SAYING THEM, I WOULD NOT HAVE SAID THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE SO GO FUCK YOURSELF WITH A RUSTY LAWN MOWER BLADE, ANON' button?
You bet!
Those are easy Jaffe buttons, to be sure.
So with that said, fuck you Anonymous. Here's the post for everyone to see if they are so inclined. I took it down because I wanted it taken down on, you know, MY blog? But if reposting it takes even an ounce of your smug, self satisfaction away, I'm more than happy to repost. So here it is.
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CIVIL WAR PART II
from JAFFE'S GAME DESIGN by da criminal
You know, I've come to the conclusion that America- as we know it- is pretty much doomed.
But it's not because of terrorists, it's because of ourselves.
And this current election has made it more clear to me than anything else.
There really are two Americas. The Red and the Blue. I hate to be a cynic and as an Obama supporter, I hope he is right and I am wrong: I hope he really can unite us. I'm all for it and willing to give it a try.
But I'm losing faith, people.
At least, I am if if I let myself listen to too much right wing talk radio. Hell, is there any other kind of talk radio? Whenever I listen to these right wing folks, I just can't help but think that America, as we know her, is on her last legs.
How can there be such divide? How can someone like myself listen today to Obama's stunning speech on race and racism in America and be reminded of both the challenges and promises of our country and the potential for us to have- for once- a great President? How can I hear that while so many right wingers hear a weak, wimpy candidate who- they seem to think- does not care about this country? How can I see hope and potential for greatness when the right wing can't get beyond the fact that Obama has a loser for a pastor? I guess it's the same way that whenever I heard Bush talk about ANYTHING, I just see an asshole who is out for himself at all costs, but right wingers- for a time- saw the second coming.
And so let's assume for a moment that there are alot of people out there who think like the Sean Hannity's of the world, the Pat Bucchanan's of the world, the Bill O'Reily's of the world. Let's assume that there is close to 50% (or more!) of the USA that buys what these folks are selling.
If that is the case, then America is simply finished.
And not because these right wingers are wrong. But simply because there are a shit ton of us out here who DO NOT agree with them and simply never will. And vice versa. And so where does that leave us? I mean, are we supposed to just keep arguing with such hatred and venom?
See, I listen to what people say and I've been known to change my mind when I've been educated to facts that I didn't have or understand. Conservatives have some good points about alot of things and hey, if someone can sell me on the idea of being a right winger, my mind is open to it.
But that said, I am fundamentally who I am. And that means that I will always want to help others who have less than I do. I am not just OK with but I will fight to the death in order to put the freedoms of Americans above the safety of Americans. I am ok with my tax dollars going to help the poor and to build public schools and to provide health care and to- ALSO- fund the military...but not ONLY fund the military.
And I am not wrong, and the right wingers are not wrong for thinking pretty much 180 degrees opposite from what I do.
We simply disagree.
And I wonder how much longer we can go on disagreeing because every time I hear them open their mouths to preach their version of the gospel, I tend to vomit just a little bit.
And I assume they feel the same about me and my fellow liberals.
So the question is: what do we do? Do we have an all out war? Or do we just agree that this ain't working anymore, that we've grown apart, and it's time for one of us to move out?
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Later ya'll!
David
