South City Confidential » health care

Disillusioned

KBO — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:20:11 +0000

I’ve struggled to write about anything political in this space for a long time, mostly because I’m disillusioned. As much as I want to satisfy all my Tea Party stalkers by regretting my support of Obama, I don’t. I actually think he’s doing a damn fine job considering the craptastic hand that was dealt to him by the Bush Administration and a Congress full of people who ironically don’t believe in government’s ability to function so they completely hinder government’s ability to function as a kind of “I told you so”. That’s what’s disillusioning. I don’t 100% support everything our president has done thus far, and I’m certainly frustrated with what he hasn’t done. But my anger is directed elsewhere.

Did you read the Vanity Fair article “Sarah Palin: The Sound and the Fury“? This article bummed the hell out of me. Not because Sarah Palin is a corrupt, greedy, power-hungry, Machiavellian, sociopath of the first order. I already knew that. But because people are still thinking she’s relevant and somehow has something of substance to offer our nation and are embracing her anti-intellectual posturing while simultaneously lining her pockets with PAC money for giving canned speeches. Wake up, Palinites: she wants to stay folksy so you’ll stay stupid enough to keep giving her money for doing nothing.

I’m frustrated that the right wants to subscribe to the “screaming banshee” method of discourse, seeing who can interrupt more and shout irrelevant talking points louder instead of actually backing up assertions with logic, facts, and rational thought. I’m disillusioned that Glenn Beck and his ilk are going after “social justice” as some kind of code word for tyrranical kitten killing as opposed to dismantling systemic oppression perpetrated by wealthy white men for ten thousand years. I’m disillusioned that education of any type other than homeschooling or private religious education is portrayed as indoctrination into socialism and unworthy of any funding at all while at the same time denigrating what education can and does do for citizens of this country. I’m pissed off that those on the right who have brains and intelligence have been shut out of discussions of what could be bipartisan solutions to our country’s myriad problems in the name of the screaming banshees. I’m really fucking sick of tea party nutjobs acting as though they have sole claim to “liberty” and “patriotism” while they conveniently ignore those parts of the Constitution that don’t serve their agenda, all while propping up this document most of them have never read.

If you think I’m exaggerating, you must not live in a city where the tea party gets a disproportionate amount of coverage in the local news.

I’m also sick of those attempting to turn this country into a theocracy through a combination of legislated religious dogma and downright bigotry. I have no interest in becoming a handmaid, and it is downright shameful that in 2010, citizens of this country are legally discriminated against and lack the same civil rights as the hegemony, hiding behind YET ANOTHER document, this time scripture, that they pick and choose to use based on their desires.

I’m tired of a ideological strategy that involves being so fucking ridiculous that the other side bangs their collective heads against a wall until they are unconscious, or at least too dazed to wade through arguments not based in reality. I’m tired of smug talking heads being deliberately obtuse in order to stick to their message, spouting the party line while wearing a shit-eating grin and playing an only-slightly more sophisticated version of I Know You Are But What Am I.

I’m disillusioned because one of my Canadian friends told me they (and by “they”, I mean Canadians in general) think our whole country must be high since Sarah Palin continues to be relevant. Worst high ever, let me tell you, if that’s true.

And, most of all, I’m pissed that being on the ground, working for positive change in our communities, has little-to-no impact on the local and national dialogue. If the people doing the real work in this country, trying to fix our schools, our health care, and our communities were the people doing talking heads on CNN, instead of pundits looking for ratings or career politicians seeking reelection or insanely lucrative work in the private sector after they’ve used and abused America, this country might look different. Hell, I’m pissed at how many of my so-called progressive friends aren’t doing shit to make our world a better place besides maybe giving money to this campaign or that.

Fuck this shit, I'm going to DC. Time to take back sanity.

Be Nice

KBO — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:07:21 +0000

I have disengaged somewhat from politics since the end of the election season because I was both burned out and just wanted to sit back and see what happened post-election. As predicted, the GOP, particularly the far right, has collectively lost its shit and *gone rogue* in the most hilarious, yet frightening, way possible. This makes me sad, because, while I love schadenfreude with my all of heart and soul, I also love intelligent discourse, and that seems to have gone out the window. This is what happens when people’s entire rhetorical strategy is to talk the loudest. I can imagine how frustrating it might be to be a conservative who actually wants to talk about policy and issues, not hyperbole and misconceptions.

This tea party-led shit, which I had drowned out for a while because my brain was plenty full of crazy on its own and I didn’t need anything else depressing me even more, resurfaced in my frame of consciousness because of the lovely billboard erected in our fair state.

I have no problem with step #2. Step #1 and Step #3? Let’s discuss.

Well, I’m not even going to discuss Step #3, because declaring war on that *oppressive* regime that wants better health care for its citizens makes me think people haven’t done their homework regarding revolutions or oppression. If your idea of revolution moves us any closer to The Handmaid’s Tale, I’ll gladly jump ship to Panama and y’all can have the country. If this is your idea of oppression, you might want to read about, oh, any part of the African continent under colonialism, for starters, before you start crowing about your certain impending loss of liberty.

If I wanted to go insane and at the same time, send more traffic their way, I’d link to a post by a certain local tea party group, who encouraged its readers to not spend any money this holiday season, including donations to charities. They want to show the impact of their dollars by keeping all of their monies for themselves. Because if the teaparty quits throwing their money around, the economy will go ahead an collapse, thus proving that Obama is just like Hitler or something. Then, if that plan doesn’t work, they want a revolution.

So, you want to destroy the leftists by opting out of capitalism? Okay. Go with that.

I hate the commercialism of Christmas. I hate it like I hate bunnies. I hate that I dread going to any retail establishment between Thanksgiving and Christmas because the level of insanity makes me have a panic attack. I’ve been celebrating Buy Nothing day for years. So I’m with you on that. But to opt out of non-political charitable donations on political principle seems to be more of a misguided pissing contest than sound political strategery. To deny help to those who need it most, in a year when they need it most, during the time of year when they need it most, simply to prove a political point (that will, honestly, probably not be proven or noticed), that’s just…well, I guess those who would buy into that should probably ask themselves why they give to charity in the first place.

In response to this, Chris and I are going to give more this season, even though we’re not in a great financial place right now. I encourage you to do the same, no matter how much or little you have to give. It doesn’t even have to be money, it can be your time.

Beyond that, I challenge all of you to critically examine not only our own actions, but our responses to directives such as this. I’ve decided that what’s missing in much of this political dogfight we’ve seen in the past two years is love.

Fuck yes, the hippie liberal do-gooder just dropped some Yoko Ono touchy-feelie LOVE on your ass. Typical.

I’m serious, though. I’m not naive enough to think that we can love all our differences and problems away, but we sure could use more of it during uncertain times. By “love”, I really mean “treating others like HUMAN BEINGS”. Like being nice to harried cashiers this season. By helping people with their bags. By letting someone merge on the interstate even if it’s not their turn. By exercising (and trust me, it is exercise for me) patience and freely giving kindness with everyone we encounter, even if they are wrong, or dumbasses, or something is unfair. By getting someone coffee for no reason (preferably me, this morning) or running errands for people without expecting anything in return. By seeking the best in and assuming the best from everyone around us. By loving and giving without conditions and certainly without any sort of paternalistic motivations. If we respond to hatred and anger with more hatred and anger, we’ll keep getting where we’ve always gotten: nowhere. Somewhere in our desperate clinging to “rugged individualism” and the struggle just to get our own piece of the American dream (snort), we forgot that it is okay to give and love freely and genuinely. So, um, can we get on that? Please.

We Are All On Drugs

KBO — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:02:23 +0000

Here’s a fun game I’ve been playing. So when I was first diagnosed with depression, my doctor gave me samples of a name-brand antidepressant to try to see if it would work (you probably know it, it’s got annoying commercials with sad music that possibly make you more depressed when you watch them). And it did. Very well. But, of course, it’s not a frontline (read: generic or cheap) drug, so my insurance company will not authorize it unless I try two other frontlines first. I tried one, and I didn’t like it. It made my brain kinda fuzzy and it was not time-released and I’d forget to take both, and they upset my stomach. I am currently weaning myself off that one so I can try the next one.

There are some really awesome side effects of this. I thought that I had the swine flu. At first, I had moderate headaches and nausea. Then (and currently), I constantly feel as though I need to stretch, but stretching doesn’t help. I also feel like every single thing that could crack on my body (like my back and neck) needs to be cracked. I will also twitch randomly. Finally, you know that sorta white noise you hear in your head when you yawn or stretch? Yeah, that comes and goes, unprovoked. This makes me feel restless ALL THE DAMN TIME. I am in for fun like this for another two weeks of weaning, then whatever party this new drug brings to the table. GOOD FUCKING TIMES. And, to top it all off, it makes drinking not very fun. OH, THE HUMANITY!

Woe is me. Thank you for all this, Express Scripts.

Alas, all is not lost. I’ve been listening to some new stuff, namely the new State Radio. the new Avett Brothers, Neko Case (live! Last night! at The Pageant! She was awesome). I got the Ben Gibbard/Jay Farrar Jack Kerouac project on vinyl and will listen to that later tonight. My friend also burned me the new Lucero, but I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet. By the way, word is that Lucero is coming back to Off Broadway, so let’s all go and see if there’s another ladyfight. Also, Jon Stewart’s in the world, which always makes me feel a little saner in a mad world.

Have a great weekend. I’ve got some stuff on tap, including my friends’ baby’s first birthday party tonight (LET THERE BE ROCK), a very cool food thing tomorrow night that I’ll be writing about at Novice Foodie, kickball tourney on Sunday, and HOMEWORK. Fun times.