is it all just a bad dream?

I had a weird dream last night. I was riding in a car with this guy I know (a friend of a friend) and he kept almost wrecking and killing us. I was very upset. After the third time, this old lady and her husband told me they were going to kill him. The lady gave me the keys to her SUV and house and told me I could have them since she would either be in hiding or going to jail. I drove off and heard a shotgun blast. Then I became someone else, a character, and that character met and fell in love with an older man. The character felt good because he already owned his own home and car (that the old murdering lady gave him) so he didn't feel like he was using the old man as a "sugar daddy". Thankfully I woke up before it got any stranger.
Of course, after I woke up and got on the Internet I was reminded just how strange real life is at the moment. I couldn't avoid seeing the name Sarah Palin whether in the headlines or in my e-mail inbox.
I remember back in 2004, which was the first presidential election I had voted in. Before Bush started screwing things up so badly, I wasn't even a registered voter. I didn't care. Politics didn't affect my life and I was frankly happy that way. Well that changed quickly and before Nov. 4 of that year, I had already been in a handful of demonstrations and marches against Bush and the illegal oil war. I felt that many had experienced a similar awakening as I had. I truly believed that millions of lazy kids like myself had finally had that fire lit under them and that together, our country would show the world that we had had enough of the lies, the deceit, and the idiocracy. Boy, was I WRONG!?!?!
All I really learned was how backwards this country really is. When I was growing up, we were taught to believe that the USA was the most advanced, most progressed, most civilized and intelligent place on the planet. How shocking to find out the truth. How depressing to realize how many people thought my partner and I were an "abomination" even though we were in a loving, committed relationship. How depressing to face another four years of Bush. It was enough to make us consider moving to Canada.
Now, here we are in 2008 and I wanted to believe things had gotten better. Although I was a loyal supporter of Hillary Clinton, I couldn't help but admire the passion with which Obama supporters regarded their candidate. When it became clear that Obama would be the democratic nominee, I wasted no time in voicing my support for him and my hope for a better tomorrow.
Then, when McCain announced his running mate, the initial news seemed good. Picking someone with nothing even close to the experience needed to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, someone so clearly aligned with the religious right and marred by so much scandal and hypocrisy, it seemed his campaign would be over. Well, again... SURPRISE!!! Never underestimate the power of people who don't read and the American Idol (tm) effect.
The thing with most religious republicans is they don't care. They don't care to get the facts or to become enlightened. Being enlightened probably sounds "faggy" to them, like it would involve a trip to a hairdresser. To be honest, I don't even know if I know any right wingers other than a few people in the periphery of my life. But I do know that on the average, they aren't people who like to read or go to school, they're not very interested in things like culture or art, or travel. I don't think that statement would offend them, because as I said, they don't care. Much like Stephen Colbert's character on his show, they don't read books to get their facts, they just go from their gut. Which is why someone like Sarah Palin could be even be considered, much less revered. It doesn't have to do with politics, it has to do with popularity. It's the American Idol (tm) effect: make something exciting, scandalous, and easy to describe in as few words as possible, and you'll have a contest on your hands. Obama versus the Mama! You know, I heard Obama was a Muslim! And Sarah, man is she hot!
I wish I could have seen the opening of Saturday Night Live last week when Tina Fey portrayed Palin next to Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton. Of course I saw it online later but it would have been great to see it live just to revel in the hilarity of it all. And really, that's all I have left for now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed between now and Nov. 4th, because really, being superstitious about it seems just as good a plan as any.

Comments

Scarlet said…
I agree!

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