Sunday, June 01, 2008

American Values

So I got asked by someone on the other side of the aisle about that whole Wright deal -- "Do you support what he said? Huh? Do you? Do you?" -- called to account over Obama's minister -- "He said God Damn America! Did you hear that? Did you? Do you AGREEEEEE with that?"

And, you know, I tried to be rational. I tried to make the point that the world this guy (white upper middle class 40-something Republican) had come from, and the one Wriight had come from were in no way the same world -- shit, not even the same universe; I made the point that, in fact, I did not come from Mr. White Guy's universe. I told him that sometimes when I looked at the things happening to, oh, women in this country, or what we've done to prisoners, or the Patriot Act, or the drug war, or the ID movement, that whole fucking mess in Iraq, yeah, I got so angry I could not focus, so, yeah, I could feel Wright.

"God DAMN America?" he insisted.

Here: have a look at this

I'm sorry.

A little patriotic flag-waving fields of amber grain just won't heal my grief.

2 comments:

tonkelu said...

I'm one of those terrible citizens that doesn't think America is above reproach and that it's time for this country to get a reality check and tough love.

In the last 8-years I've been terribly ashamed of our country. We have a president who lies and, as a result, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost. The public "servants" who run this country care more about their bank accounts, interests and egos than they do about the people they're there to serve. People go hungry every day...in the so-called richest country in the world. There's no such thing as good health insurance. Insured or not, you're going to pay through the nose for care and if you can't pay the bill, no worries, they'll just sue for what little money you have. Our war veterans can't get decent health care or mental care in spite of the fact that they put their lives on the line (and on hold) to serve the good ol' U. S. of A. Far too many public schools are underfunded and, quite frankly, a disgrace. Our government has created a system that forces people to live in poverty because to do anything else would be financial suicide but the citizens of this country can't be bothered to be outraged. They're too busy driving gas guzzling SUV's, talking on $500 cell phones and flashing blood diamonds. Discrimination still exists. As do sexism, homophobia and ageism.

No doubt there are other countries that are worse and I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in, oh, say, South Africa. What makes the American attitude so appalling is the apathy. No one gives a damn! We have a basic "fuck you" attitude towards all of the things that drag our country through the mud.

Was Rev. Wright right? I don't know. Do I agree with him...yeah, in some ways I surely do. He's also said things that have floored me but, you know what, I'm a white girl that was raised in an upper middle class family, never had to work for a damn thing in my life and I certainly never encountered the kind of hate and discrimination that a black man his age almost certainly endured on numerous occasions.

In terms of Wright's association with Obama...so? Truly, I don't get the media play this *story* is getting. It's not like Obama is going to turn around and make him Vice President. It's not as if Obama himself has said the words and, while we're on the subject, how can he be responsible for the verbal diarehea that comes out of someone else's mouth? He's distanced himself. He's condemned the comments. He's disagreed publicly time and time again. What more is he supposed to do? Crucify him? Get some perspective people!

Thanks, delagar. I needed to get that off my chest.

Diane said...

The thing about Wright is that the entire national conversation is about "God damn America" and not about the sexism. I have no problem at all with Wright's anger toward the U.S.; I agree with him. But when he insists that women are not especially oppressed, then I, too, consider him a shameful figure--just another patriarchal jerk.

I wish the conversation would turn to THAT, but of course, the media isn't interested in that conversation.