Showing posts with label Politricks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politricks. Show all posts
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Oh no she didn't!
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Social Media Activism: What is it good for?
Social media activism refers to the practice of being extremely vocal and active about social issues on websites like Facebook and Twitter but doing nothing "concrete" about the actual problems. Social media activists are those of us who sit on our asses and share articles, argue in the comments sections and even try to shame others for what they did or did not post about a topic we feel is important but limit our involvement to the World Wide Web. There is no question that there is a lot of this going on these days and it can be sickening.
In the wake of the Paris Attacks in November 2015, there was a lot of talk about whose lives matter, the information we are fed by the media and what we care about as a result. The whole discussion exhausted the hell out of me. Of course, I had opinions about it, I always do. But I choose not to share them as often on social media because I don't want to deal with the time-consuming fray from my online community and their diverse opinions and backgrounds (that's a whole other discussion).
Regardless of what I think about how tragedy and loss are reported, the fact remains that there is an overwhelming amount of violence and hatred in the world right now. I'm sure most people would agree that this is not ideal. I'm a solution-oriented person above all. So the idea that we are all sitting on our asses arguing about whose lives matter while the world goes up in flames is extremely disconcerting to me.
BUT
I don't believe denouncing social media activism is necessarily the way to go and here's why...
Something is better than nothing.
How many of the people who are sharing and spreading information on social media would actually go out and do something about it if there were no Facebook? In other words, before social media became so pervasive and people didn't have access to it as a means of spreading information and ideas, were social media activists out in the streets getting results? I doubt it. It's more likely that they were not involved at all.
Yes, this is a new generation so many of them don't know the world without Facebook activism and it can, therefore, be argued that they could be learning social media activism as if it is a viable form of change. That is dangerous. But overall, I think that the number of people who are more likely to talk about shit and do nothing has not necessarily grown just because they've been given a platform on the internet and, if it has grown, it is not significant.
Think about it. 15 years ago, social media activists were the people who were reading the newspaper and arguing with their coworkers about politics. Or they were the ones who watched CNN 24/7 while on the phone with their relatives in other states arguing about the news (my stepfather still does this). The people who are most likely to talk about shit and not do anything are always going to be around.
As such, the people who are more apt to do things will always have that drive. Social media activists won't change that. If anything, social media gives voice to the people who may not have been heard before because they were just talking to friends and family instead of the World Wide Web. They serve a purpose. They create a buzz around topics. They give us greater insight into what the world is thinking about. The conversations that they create are, at times, invaluable. Even the worst kind, where people spew hatred and ignorance, gives us insight into how much work we have to do.
I venture to state that all of the people on the internet that we are tired of hearing from have always existed:
"What's on your mind?"
You think that is coincidental? You think those fuckers really care about you? You think Mark Zuckerberg is trying to be your therapist? Hell to the naw! Facebook is set up as a big worldwide discussion. It's pretty ingenious actually. Over the years, Facebook has redesigned itself to go from a shallow social network where you could cyber stalk your ex or that bitch from high school that used to act like her shit didn't stink to a real-time worldwide roundtable discussion about whatever issues people deem significant. Look at all the things that they have put in place to facilitate these discussions.
Do you honestly think that this hasn't been engineered? Look at every online article. It gives you the opportunity to share via Facebook et al. I don't have to go searching for news anymore. Facebook is my primary source of information. You know how I found out about the Paris attacks? "Facebook Safety Check" told me that two of my friends (whom I didn't even know were in Paris) were safe. Naturally, I was like, "safe from what?" and I quickly found out what had happened.
Facebook has totally changed the way we learn about, comment on and react to the world around us. We can sit and argue about how that has affected our action or inaction but I think it's shortsighted and silly to blame social networks for the apathy that has existed among human beings since the beginning of time. Let's focus on how we can use the tools of social media to be better activists. After all, the word "activism," by definition, consists of action.
And while sharing, encouraging and denouncing things via Facebook is a sort of activism as it can help educate and arouse the population to make change, we all know that it takes more than discussion to truly address the problems we face. Therefore, how do we make the next step from social media activism to actual activism? How do we transition to physical action? Let's talk about it on Facebook, where I'll share this blogpost. See how I did that?
-November 2015
In the wake of the Paris Attacks in November 2015, there was a lot of talk about whose lives matter, the information we are fed by the media and what we care about as a result. The whole discussion exhausted the hell out of me. Of course, I had opinions about it, I always do. But I choose not to share them as often on social media because I don't want to deal with the time-consuming fray from my online community and their diverse opinions and backgrounds (that's a whole other discussion).
Regardless of what I think about how tragedy and loss are reported, the fact remains that there is an overwhelming amount of violence and hatred in the world right now. I'm sure most people would agree that this is not ideal. I'm a solution-oriented person above all. So the idea that we are all sitting on our asses arguing about whose lives matter while the world goes up in flames is extremely disconcerting to me.
BUT
I don't believe denouncing social media activism is necessarily the way to go and here's why...
Something is better than nothing.
How many of the people who are sharing and spreading information on social media would actually go out and do something about it if there were no Facebook? In other words, before social media became so pervasive and people didn't have access to it as a means of spreading information and ideas, were social media activists out in the streets getting results? I doubt it. It's more likely that they were not involved at all.
Yes, this is a new generation so many of them don't know the world without Facebook activism and it can, therefore, be argued that they could be learning social media activism as if it is a viable form of change. That is dangerous. But overall, I think that the number of people who are more likely to talk about shit and do nothing has not necessarily grown just because they've been given a platform on the internet and, if it has grown, it is not significant.
Think about it. 15 years ago, social media activists were the people who were reading the newspaper and arguing with their coworkers about politics. Or they were the ones who watched CNN 24/7 while on the phone with their relatives in other states arguing about the news (my stepfather still does this). The people who are most likely to talk about shit and not do anything are always going to be around.
As such, the people who are more apt to do things will always have that drive. Social media activists won't change that. If anything, social media gives voice to the people who may not have been heard before because they were just talking to friends and family instead of the World Wide Web. They serve a purpose. They create a buzz around topics. They give us greater insight into what the world is thinking about. The conversations that they create are, at times, invaluable. Even the worst kind, where people spew hatred and ignorance, gives us insight into how much work we have to do.
I venture to state that all of the people on the internet that we are tired of hearing from have always existed:
- self-righteous black folk
- self-righteous Christian folk
- ignorant-ass white supremacists
- misogynists
- liberal-ass, guilty white people who think they know everybody's struggle
- Clueless-ass white people who don't know and don't care about anybody's struggles
- and the list goes on and on
"What's on your mind?"
You think that is coincidental? You think those fuckers really care about you? You think Mark Zuckerberg is trying to be your therapist? Hell to the naw! Facebook is set up as a big worldwide discussion. It's pretty ingenious actually. Over the years, Facebook has redesigned itself to go from a shallow social network where you could cyber stalk your ex or that bitch from high school that used to act like her shit didn't stink to a real-time worldwide roundtable discussion about whatever issues people deem significant. Look at all the things that they have put in place to facilitate these discussions.
Do you honestly think that this hasn't been engineered? Look at every online article. It gives you the opportunity to share via Facebook et al. I don't have to go searching for news anymore. Facebook is my primary source of information. You know how I found out about the Paris attacks? "Facebook Safety Check" told me that two of my friends (whom I didn't even know were in Paris) were safe. Naturally, I was like, "safe from what?" and I quickly found out what had happened.
Facebook has totally changed the way we learn about, comment on and react to the world around us. We can sit and argue about how that has affected our action or inaction but I think it's shortsighted and silly to blame social networks for the apathy that has existed among human beings since the beginning of time. Let's focus on how we can use the tools of social media to be better activists. After all, the word "activism," by definition, consists of action.
And while sharing, encouraging and denouncing things via Facebook is a sort of activism as it can help educate and arouse the population to make change, we all know that it takes more than discussion to truly address the problems we face. Therefore, how do we make the next step from social media activism to actual activism? How do we transition to physical action? Let's talk about it on Facebook, where I'll share this blogpost. See how I did that?
-November 2015
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Neda Soltani and the failure of modern-day journalism
Just heard a story on NPR about Neda Soltani, an Iranian woman who is now a political exile because the media mistakenly used her Facebook photo to represent a dead political activist with a similar name. The whole story is unbelievable, terribly sad and eerie (we have the same exact DOB). But what is really powerful to me is how shitty and inept the press has become. This woman sent the proper information to several news outlets, including CNN and they completely ignored it. She sent another news agency a different photo of herself to further prove the error and they published it as a new exclusive pic of the dead girl! Listen to the story here:
There are no more journalists. The media has been failing us for quite some time. They don't even deserve the benefit of the doubt. We're going to have to start fact-checking the news ourselves.
When the kids got killed in Newtown, CT, a number of major news outlets reported completely inaccurate information in their rush to get the story out first. What the hell is the point of the news if it's wrong?! I could just ask Pookie down the block for the scoop if I want some "He said, She said."
It's just a damn shame...
There are no more journalists. The media has been failing us for quite some time. They don't even deserve the benefit of the doubt. We're going to have to start fact-checking the news ourselves.
When the kids got killed in Newtown, CT, a number of major news outlets reported completely inaccurate information in their rush to get the story out first. What the hell is the point of the news if it's wrong?! I could just ask Pookie down the block for the scoop if I want some "He said, She said."
It's just a damn shame...
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Romney's 47% 'Clean-Up' Press Conference - YouTube
I am thoroughly enjoying listening to Mitt Romney trip all over himself pretending to give a fuck. I must admit, he doesn't seem to be trying very hard. I guess he really isn't trying to appeal to that 47%.
Lots of people are upset but I can't summon up the energy for that. I did let out a little gasp when I first read the quote but that was about it. If you haven't heard the controversy: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser
I should note that barely anything in politics pisses me off these days. These people are all ridiculous and I'm too busy oscillating between trying to eat (and stay alive in general) and wondering "what the hell am I living for?" So yeah, not much time to give a crap about who is going to further mess up my life or keep it at its present miserable level.
That being said, I am kind of annoyed by Romney's whole casual "these people don't pay taxes" bullshit. I pay more taxes than he does (percentage-wise, obvi) and this economy is killing me! I'm over here racking my brain trying to see how I can pay rent and a car note on my salary. I'm over here brainstorming possible second jobs while fully aware that, if I am working for all of my waking hours, there is really no purpose to living. Simply put: I'm not living large off of the government. For him to say that Obama supporters don't care about his "low taxes message" because they don't pay taxes pisses me off. There's nothing I want more than more money in my pocket right about now.
Oh wait, there is. I want to live in a country not totally run by assholes who are so past racism and elitism that they don't even care about me enough to hate me. They don't even see me. They don't even try to make me think they care about me.
BTW, PLEASE don't be naive. This foolishness isn't going to hinder not ONE would-be Romney supporter. They're not voting for him cause he's a great guy.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Expletives and other offensive words that express my feelings about President Obama and his detractors
The following is a note I just posted on Facebook. It's a little incendiary but so much more tame than it could have been so please give me a break.
Expletives and other offensive words that express my feelings about President Obama and his detractors
After watching the State of the Union Address tonight, I remembered why I have stayed away from political discussion since 2008. It is too stressful to hear the idiotic shit that everyday people say in an attempt to criticize Barack Obama. So I will rant a bit and then promptly stay out of political discussion again lest I give myself a heart attack:
My advice to black Americans and fair weather liberals concerning Obama (I don't care if you asked for it or not): if you have nothing positive to say, shut the fuck up--just like you did when all these other dudes were fucking up the country before.
It's a simple lesson in common sense and solidarity that some of y'all never learned. The president is a figurehead, not a dictator. In a democracy (that's what they call this right here) we have a system where the president is COMPLETELY INCAPABLE of enacting significant change on his own. The system was designed that way! As a matter of fact, it is the people, not the president, who are supposed to incite change in a democracy. We are supposed to use our voting power and our financial power to bring about change. Democracy does not work when people decide to duck in and out of the democratic process when they feel like it (something which I can say I am also guilty of at times).
Democracy doesn't work when people expect to vote for a president who seems cool and then sit back and wait for the world to change. Democracy doesn't work when people don't vote in local elections or make their congressmen accountable for their actions. You get the point right? Obama can't work miracles.
My decision to refrain from constantly insulting him does NOT mean that a) I have no criticism for his performance thus far or b) I am caught up in his charm or swag.
Please don't insult my intelligence. I am a realist.
In 2008, I left my city, apartment, family ( my whole damn life) to move to Cleveland not because I thought he was trying or able to change the world but because I felt that he was the first presidential candidate in my lifetime that was worth fighting for. That shit was hard. I cried and endured some humiliation, rejection, racism and a whole slew of speeding tickets I couldn't afford. After it was done, I knew that I would never do it again but I also have never regretted doing it. I believed in Obama. I was inspired by him. I was encouraged by his sincerity. I still am. He still speaks more to my truth and experiences than any other president in my lifetime. But he's still a politician.
People were waiting around for Obama to make water into wine and got mad when he didn't. I don't remember him promising me the moon and stars (even though he did promise me a job the day after he got elected) so I have no reason to be disappointed in him. I have seen him address every issue he promised to address with energy and determination. I'm disappointed in the way some of it turned out but I realize that he was not solely responsible for passing and implementing legislation. I'm disappointed in all the things and people who contributed to the mess we are in.
A lot of y'all decided to start caring about politics when Obama came into office. I, on the other hand, remember crying hysterically BOTH times George W Bush got elected and some of y'all looking at me sideways as if to say "it's not that serious." I remember some of y'all joking about how wack Gore and Kerry were and then stating, very matter-of-factly, that you weren't voting for anybody. Did you realize that someone would win the election whether you voted or not and that that someone could actually fuck up the country more than before? I bet you figured that out after 8 years of Dubya, huh? But did that teach you to fully participate in the democratic process? Nope. I still had to beg some of y'all to register to vote in 2008. BEG! Voting doesn't mean you believe that your candidate is the best possible person for the job. Voting means you're making sure the better option gets elected. It's called damage control.
So yeah, remember them times you didn't vote? Yeah... So shut the fuck up, please. And to my elders: Please excuse my language.
BTW, liberals are the most spineless summumma bitches ever! Y'all need to take a lesson in loyalty and stick-with-it-ness from the Good Old Party and learn to support your damn president. I'm so tired of us giving the democratic party the tools they need to make change (presumably a Democratic president and majority in the house and the Senate, right?) and watching as they work as quickly and productively as possible to squander it. As for you coloreds who seem to be particularly venomous towards Barack Obama: remind me to never stick my neck out for any of y'all trifling, misguided fools!
Many of my good friends will feel that some of this may apply to them and it probably does but luckily I don't choose my friends by their politics so I hope you won't take my opinions as an attack on you personally.
My advice to black Americans and fair weather liberals concerning Obama (I don't care if you asked for it or not): if you have nothing positive to say, shut the fuck up--just like you did when all these other dudes were fucking up the country before.
It's a simple lesson in common sense and solidarity that some of y'all never learned. The president is a figurehead, not a dictator. In a democracy (that's what they call this right here) we have a system where the president is COMPLETELY INCAPABLE of enacting significant change on his own. The system was designed that way! As a matter of fact, it is the people, not the president, who are supposed to incite change in a democracy. We are supposed to use our voting power and our financial power to bring about change. Democracy does not work when people decide to duck in and out of the democratic process when they feel like it (something which I can say I am also guilty of at times).
Democracy doesn't work when people expect to vote for a president who seems cool and then sit back and wait for the world to change. Democracy doesn't work when people don't vote in local elections or make their congressmen accountable for their actions. You get the point right? Obama can't work miracles.
My decision to refrain from constantly insulting him does NOT mean that a) I have no criticism for his performance thus far or b) I am caught up in his charm or swag.
Please don't insult my intelligence. I am a realist.
In 2008, I left my city, apartment, family ( my whole damn life) to move to Cleveland not because I thought he was trying or able to change the world but because I felt that he was the first presidential candidate in my lifetime that was worth fighting for. That shit was hard. I cried and endured some humiliation, rejection, racism and a whole slew of speeding tickets I couldn't afford. After it was done, I knew that I would never do it again but I also have never regretted doing it. I believed in Obama. I was inspired by him. I was encouraged by his sincerity. I still am. He still speaks more to my truth and experiences than any other president in my lifetime. But he's still a politician.
People were waiting around for Obama to make water into wine and got mad when he didn't. I don't remember him promising me the moon and stars (even though he did promise me a job the day after he got elected) so I have no reason to be disappointed in him. I have seen him address every issue he promised to address with energy and determination. I'm disappointed in the way some of it turned out but I realize that he was not solely responsible for passing and implementing legislation. I'm disappointed in all the things and people who contributed to the mess we are in.
A lot of y'all decided to start caring about politics when Obama came into office. I, on the other hand, remember crying hysterically BOTH times George W Bush got elected and some of y'all looking at me sideways as if to say "it's not that serious." I remember some of y'all joking about how wack Gore and Kerry were and then stating, very matter-of-factly, that you weren't voting for anybody. Did you realize that someone would win the election whether you voted or not and that that someone could actually fuck up the country more than before? I bet you figured that out after 8 years of Dubya, huh? But did that teach you to fully participate in the democratic process? Nope. I still had to beg some of y'all to register to vote in 2008. BEG! Voting doesn't mean you believe that your candidate is the best possible person for the job. Voting means you're making sure the better option gets elected. It's called damage control.
So yeah, remember them times you didn't vote? Yeah... So shut the fuck up, please. And to my elders: Please excuse my language.
BTW, liberals are the most spineless summumma bitches ever! Y'all need to take a lesson in loyalty and stick-with-it-ness from the Good Old Party and learn to support your damn president. I'm so tired of us giving the democratic party the tools they need to make change (presumably a Democratic president and majority in the house and the Senate, right?) and watching as they work as quickly and productively as possible to squander it. As for you coloreds who seem to be particularly venomous towards Barack Obama: remind me to never stick my neck out for any of y'all trifling, misguided fools!
Many of my good friends will feel that some of this may apply to them and it probably does but luckily I don't choose my friends by their politics so I hope you won't take my opinions as an attack on you personally.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
An Interracial Fix for Black Marriage - WSJ.com
An Interracial Fix for Black Marriage - WSJ.com
I think that this article does a good job of explaining the issues that educated black women face in a very direct and concrete way. You can't argue with statistics. Honestly, I don't understand why I should have to work so hard to find someone who wants to marry me. It's just not fair.
All I want is for the black men I know who constantly argue with me about this subject to read this and shut the fuck up. Don't say, "I love my Nubian sistAHs" or "I always knew I would end up with a black woman." Just understand what we're dealing with and don't give me advice on how to solve a problem that you have a part in perpetuating.
I shouldn't have to read a Steve Harvey book to find a man. I'm just saying.
I think that this article does a good job of explaining the issues that educated black women face in a very direct and concrete way. You can't argue with statistics. Honestly, I don't understand why I should have to work so hard to find someone who wants to marry me. It's just not fair.
All I want is for the black men I know who constantly argue with me about this subject to read this and shut the fuck up. Don't say, "I love my Nubian sistAHs" or "I always knew I would end up with a black woman." Just understand what we're dealing with and don't give me advice on how to solve a problem that you have a part in perpetuating.
I shouldn't have to read a Steve Harvey book to find a man. I'm just saying.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Survival - Bob Marley and the Wailers
I should be in my bed and I'm about to go there but I was just overwhelmed my how amazing the Survival album is that I had to blog real quick about it. It's not just the most amazing Bob Marley album but one of the best albums of all time. If you've never heard it, listen to it. If you don't have a visceral reaction to that music then I don't know what you got going on in your soul.
I'm a little emotional, yes, and some say I'm dramatic but I'm tearing up just thinking about how deeply those tracks affected me growing up. Its blowing my mind just thinking about how painfully relevant those tracks are to our world right now! "Babylon System," could easily be an anthem for the Occupy Wall Street movement! I love this album! It contains my favorite Bob Marley song of all time (although I'm pretty sure that statement is not really feasible cause I love all of his art) "One Drop."
When I was in my angry phase in high school, I used to just sing it in my head over and over again to drown out the bullshit they tried to teach me about myself and my culture.
There is so much emotion dripping out of that song. It wells up in my heart and...sigh. I just can't explain it.
Just promise me that you will make every effort to listen to this album as soon as possible. And if you feel me, leave a comment!
I'm a little emotional, yes, and some say I'm dramatic but I'm tearing up just thinking about how deeply those tracks affected me growing up. Its blowing my mind just thinking about how painfully relevant those tracks are to our world right now! "Babylon System," could easily be an anthem for the Occupy Wall Street movement! I love this album! It contains my favorite Bob Marley song of all time (although I'm pretty sure that statement is not really feasible cause I love all of his art) "One Drop."
Just promise me that you will make every effort to listen to this album as soon as possible. And if you feel me, leave a comment!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Good News and Bad News
Dear Lovely (and most likely disillusioned) readers,
The good news is that I'm not dead! Lol. Actually, the real good news is that I've been hired to work for the Obama campaign in Ohio and am now living in Cleveland doing some exciting (albeit exhausting) work until election day in November. The bad news is: because I'm now an employee of the next president of the United States of America, I have to take my blog down. It sucks because I haven't even had a chance to update in the past month or so (what with the plethora of visitors I have had and the crazy crisis-filled job I had before I quit and moved to Ohio) Anyway, life has been quite hectic for me and I apologize for being a tease. I have so much to say and I really hope that you will still be around when I can start publishing that again. As for now, this blog is temporarily defunct. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
Much Love,
Kayla
This was not published until a year after it was written but I found it in my drafts so I figured, "what the hell?"
The good news is that I'm not dead! Lol. Actually, the real good news is that I've been hired to work for the Obama campaign in Ohio and am now living in Cleveland doing some exciting (albeit exhausting) work until election day in November. The bad news is: because I'm now an employee of the next president of the United States of America, I have to take my blog down. It sucks because I haven't even had a chance to update in the past month or so (what with the plethora of visitors I have had and the crazy crisis-filled job I had before I quit and moved to Ohio) Anyway, life has been quite hectic for me and I apologize for being a tease. I have so much to say and I really hope that you will still be around when I can start publishing that again. As for now, this blog is temporarily defunct. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
Much Love,
Kayla
This was not published until a year after it was written but I found it in my drafts so I figured, "what the hell?"
Thursday, June 26, 2008
American voters and the “cult of loyalty”
I wrote this on 2/17/08 when the Clintons were becoming more and more unappealing to me.
Thank you Bill and Hillary Clinton for successfully ending your love affair with the American public. Honestly, you had a good run. Americans are loyal as fuck when it comes to politics, aren’t they?
It’s ironic as hell that politics would be the field where people switch fundamental ideologies in a matter of days without a second thought. But not the American voters. No. You can depend on their loyalty. Well, in many cases, it manifests itself as a stubborn unwillingness to change their minds. If they liked a candidate in ’97 and he’s running again in ’08 he’d have to burn down a nursing home and steal from children’s fund for them to even begin thinking about the possibility of voting for another candidate. Either way, one thing is for sure. It’s gonna take a lot more than simply taking issue with that candidate’s stance on important issues.
Let’s be honest. As Americans, we have been notorious for electing presidents based on looks, musical ability (eh-em saxophone player), religion, last name, charisma etc. We’re not too fond of putting someone in the White House because they have good ideas. At least not in the years I’ve been a voter or old enough to be personally aware of voting trends. We as a public are becoming less and less aware of WHO is really running for president. I wish I could say I wasn’t even a little bit shocked the other night as I watched Jay Leno showing citizens (of all ages, races and genders thank GOD) he had met on the street pictures of people like Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and asking them to identify those people. As you can probably imagine, it was a complete bust. Not only did they not recognize current candidates’ pictures but, in many cases, it didn’t even ring a bell when Leno suggested their names. For our sake, I’m hoping this was conducted in the most vapid unaware part of Hollywood and is no reflection on the population as a whole but I cannot say I’m hopeful. I just cannot fathom living in a country where I know nothing about who is currently and who is petitioning to run it. Of course, at the end of the segment, Leno says, “You get the government you deserve!” and it’s funny but you can also tell he’s a little disgusted as well. Seriously, these are the people to whom the candidates are campaigning? People who cannot even remember candidate’s names, much less the details of their health plans? And here I am expecting voting results to make sense.
Honestly, the Clintons could have gotten re-elected (let’s just call it what it is) in a heartbeat. They wouldn’t have had to do much, just let their old faithful supporters know they're running and periodically conjure up grandiose images of the good years with the Clintons in the White House (especially in this day and age when the Clinton era economically seems so far away). No detailed ideas for healthcare would have been necessary, no millions of dollars needed to be spent. All they had to do was stand up on the stage and say, “hey guys! We’re running! Put us back in the White House!” There would have been no demand for a campaign of substance. The Clinton loyalty would have done all the work. Hell, I consider myself to be of considerable intelligence with great concern for the political future of this country and I was ready to vote for Hillary on principle!
Unfortunately for them, a wrench named Barack Obama was thrown into the system. Obama is not a name that conjures up years of financial prosperity. He doesn’t have a legacy to point to when he asks voters to put him in the White House. Frankly, if this election is business as usual, he’d have very little chance convincing anyone to elect him over a Clinton™. Luckily for him, the Clintons have managed to do the impossible. They’ve managed to lose a good amount of the old American loyalty that would have made them a shoo-in to the White House. And that is quite a feat. So much so that you can see many people trying to hold on to a positive idea of the Clintons by any means necessary: old guard feminist arguments, pity and even demonizing a very encouraging message of hope coming from the Obama campaign. Frankly, it’s quite embarrassing. They did this to themselves. With a combination of negativity, insincerity and a lack of passion, the Clinton’s have managed to push a lot of their old friends away. Take me for example (yes, I’m presumptive enough to consider myself as one of their old friends, anwat!?) I’m a little ashamed to say that I was once part of the group of black women who LOVED me some Bill Clinton. Sheepishly, I must admit that I might have called him the first black president once or twice in the past (I’m so embarrassed!). I remember his campaign song from ’92 (Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow…it’ll soon be here! Yesterday’s gone!) and I mourned the end of his second term with the solemnity and sincerity I would have had for the untimely death of a young child full of promise and talent—I was a melodramatic high school senior who was enrolled in an election elective course in school and convinced I would save the world one day. My support for Hillary was no exception. I, like most others viewed them as a unit. Her good ideas were his and his dedication to important issues was hers. I didn’t hesitate to elect her as a New York senator even though she was nothing close to a New Yorker because I eagerly anticipated her run for the presidency and knew that this position would be stepping stone on her path to the White House (even then, we all subliminally knew she was a plotting old witch who always aspired to be president). To me, it didn’t get any better than that: a Clinton who is a WOMAN back in the office?! Double Trouble! According to tradition, she’d be something akin to the first black female president (gag!)
Ugh, I’m sorry. I got a little carried away there but you get my point. Hillary had my support. I guess part of it was my inability to imagine another candidate who could challenge the promise a Hillary candidacy held (apparently, she didn’t either! ha ha ha!) And another part of it was…good old Clinton loyalty. Well, although I am American, I am not part of that loyal to a fault population. I still believe my vote is to be earned. Not to say I didn’t want Clinton to earn it. I was definitely rooting for her. But if she could turn off some of those “cult of loyalty” voters then they’ve done a pretty shit-tastic job of campaigning.
Of course the Obama factor doesn’t help. Anyone running against this man would find themselves in a difficult situation that is relatively new on the American political scene (at least to this generation of voters). But if anyone could beat Barack Obama (and let’s be very clear, I don’t think anyone should beat him), it would have to be a FEMALE Clinton. You can’t think up a more challenging opponent on paper. But ay…therein lies the rub. Unfortunately for the Clints, they’re not running on paper. They’re running in real time and every negative and cynical (and overtly racist for that matter) comment deals a blow to the loyalty that would have gotten her elected. Every insincere smile, every effort to hide Hillary’s power hunger and dress it up as a strong and genuine desire to help women and children diminishes the possibility of her getting votes from America’s thinking population. I’m sure if she were running against yet another uninspired candidate whose taken steps on a very protracted progression to the White House, she’d win. But when you have passion in a race, good old loyalty will NOT cut it. Even if you get every feminist on the face of the earth to write you a pitiful New York Times Op-Ed to make any women not supporting you feel traitorous to her gender. Even if you CRY. Even if you spend over 5 million dollars of your own money on your campaign. You can’t fight passion with any of that bullshit. Hillary has never had passion. She’s had loyalty. And that might have been good enough in any other election year. This time around though, it’s just not enough.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Spitzer: At least he's "normal"
I have to say if there's any reaction I can say I had to the Eliot Spitzer scandal, it was relief.
In this day and age there are so many instances where a scandal might refer to a man boiling and eating his girlfriend's body parts, a man sodomizing a newborn to get him to stop crying, people shitting in cups and eating it (I linked to the site ONLY to confirm that it does in fact exist but I implore you. PLEASE do not watch that video!) etc.
Each day I'm more horrified by crimes I see in the news whether they involve politicians or not. The truth is: we've come to expect scandal from politicians. Yes, it is infuriating when you entrust your safety and well-being to a man and he spends more time chasing (or buying) sex than serving the public but when you think about what he could have been doing, I have to say I'm relieved that it wasn't worse. I mean think about it. I could think of a thousand worse things he could have been doing.
I bet Spitzer can!
In this day and age there are so many instances where a scandal might refer to a man boiling and eating his girlfriend's body parts, a man sodomizing a newborn to get him to stop crying, people shitting in cups and eating it (I linked to the site ONLY to confirm that it does in fact exist but I implore you. PLEASE do not watch that video!) etc.
Each day I'm more horrified by crimes I see in the news whether they involve politicians or not. The truth is: we've come to expect scandal from politicians. Yes, it is infuriating when you entrust your safety and well-being to a man and he spends more time chasing (or buying) sex than serving the public but when you think about what he could have been doing, I have to say I'm relieved that it wasn't worse. I mean think about it. I could think of a thousand worse things he could have been doing.
I bet Spitzer can!
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