Emproph
10-03-2008, 05:25 AM
Taking all things into consideration in regard to this presidential race (including race), and assuming no "October Surprise":
~~~
After watching the VP debate and its aftermath last night, I feel like a perfectly-to-scale-microcosm of our nation was put on display, and that this is "our moment" as a nation.
We are not united. We are divided into three (technically) DISTINCT camps. One of which is not only volatile, but will decide this election based on race alone.
--
Daniel brought something (http://www.soulforce.org/forums/showthread.php?p=61315#post61315) up in Jennifer's "Blind Beliefs" thread (http://www.soulforce.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5393), that within hours, actually happened to me (bold mine).
I am seriously concerned that the unspoken issue in this election is race. Forget about the issues. One can't deal with them when one has to deal with the elephant in the room.
It's kinda like the situation gay people of faith find themselves in. Can't talk about gay rights or being gay because of the ignorance by conservatives/fundamentalists. They aren't seeing a person, but this huge thing in their mind called homosexuality - you know- the beast with 6 legs- the one that eats children for breakfast- or some such nonsense.
I was later and innocently enough talking with my sister, and upon mention of the election she literally and unabashedly said the words out loud: "I'm not ready to have a black man as President."
I immediately -- in the most endearing way possible -- said the word "racist" out loud, which she promptly admitted to, which promptly shut me up. :D
She wasn't ashamed and I wasn't offended - because I 'got' it. It was just her gut reaction, and she was just admitting to it. But I saw that racist elephant in the room on a national level, not necessarily through my sister, but in a potential majority of the "undecided" voters (the one's who keep changing the polls/stats on us) -- who will go to the polls thinking they are determined to vote for Obama, but will panic at the very last moment and vote for McCain, simply because they're "not ready to have a 'black man' in the White House."
-
My "gut" feeling, is that this election will decide the fate of our nation (and possibly the world), and that these are the people who will decide this election.
-
It seems to me that neither ideological side of the political spectrum was swayed last night. Further, the political pundits themselves not only seemed to reflect this, but many were outspokenly vocal. Whether in what seemed to be a fiercefully unified panning and shredding of Palin, or what could almost be described as a euphoric state of worshipping her on the right (and I'm not even talking spin, it was effortless on both sides.), I don't think I've ever seen such a burst of "black and white" reaction to any single political event.
MSNBC's Chris Matthews murdered Palin in a ten minute diatribe immediately following the debate, and I'm tempted to say he was visibly angry. I've been watching his ironically titled show "Hardball" for years now, and even eight years of Bushotopia couldn't wipe the grin off that man's face for more than a moment or two.
I thought Maddow's insight was stellar. And I've decided that Craig Crawford -- frequent guest on the Keith Olbermann show, et al -- had indeed been drinking.
It was a feast that will last well beyond the election itself, as all that I've just alluded to has yet to appear in print form. (MSM dissects the debate, then we get to dissect the dissection.) :weee:
-
All of which seemed to be the mirror image of the many, vast, and varied "conversations" we've had with the die-hard anti-gays over the past few years.
Our nation has officially become, on all levels, a cliche'd version of that conversation - except, of course, for the "undecideds," who watch and read, but for the most part, rarely weigh in because they don't have a definitive political or even ideological position to speak of.
They make decisions (ie; vote) based on their "gut." Which means they make decisions based on avoiding fear (ie; volatile).
And we have only, and exactly one month to reach them before they walk into that polling booth to discover, to their surprise, chagrin and dismay, that they are indeed, racist.
Thoughts?
~~~
After watching the VP debate and its aftermath last night, I feel like a perfectly-to-scale-microcosm of our nation was put on display, and that this is "our moment" as a nation.
We are not united. We are divided into three (technically) DISTINCT camps. One of which is not only volatile, but will decide this election based on race alone.
--
Daniel brought something (http://www.soulforce.org/forums/showthread.php?p=61315#post61315) up in Jennifer's "Blind Beliefs" thread (http://www.soulforce.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5393), that within hours, actually happened to me (bold mine).
I am seriously concerned that the unspoken issue in this election is race. Forget about the issues. One can't deal with them when one has to deal with the elephant in the room.
It's kinda like the situation gay people of faith find themselves in. Can't talk about gay rights or being gay because of the ignorance by conservatives/fundamentalists. They aren't seeing a person, but this huge thing in their mind called homosexuality - you know- the beast with 6 legs- the one that eats children for breakfast- or some such nonsense.
I was later and innocently enough talking with my sister, and upon mention of the election she literally and unabashedly said the words out loud: "I'm not ready to have a black man as President."
I immediately -- in the most endearing way possible -- said the word "racist" out loud, which she promptly admitted to, which promptly shut me up. :D
She wasn't ashamed and I wasn't offended - because I 'got' it. It was just her gut reaction, and she was just admitting to it. But I saw that racist elephant in the room on a national level, not necessarily through my sister, but in a potential majority of the "undecided" voters (the one's who keep changing the polls/stats on us) -- who will go to the polls thinking they are determined to vote for Obama, but will panic at the very last moment and vote for McCain, simply because they're "not ready to have a 'black man' in the White House."
-
My "gut" feeling, is that this election will decide the fate of our nation (and possibly the world), and that these are the people who will decide this election.
-
It seems to me that neither ideological side of the political spectrum was swayed last night. Further, the political pundits themselves not only seemed to reflect this, but many were outspokenly vocal. Whether in what seemed to be a fiercefully unified panning and shredding of Palin, or what could almost be described as a euphoric state of worshipping her on the right (and I'm not even talking spin, it was effortless on both sides.), I don't think I've ever seen such a burst of "black and white" reaction to any single political event.
MSNBC's Chris Matthews murdered Palin in a ten minute diatribe immediately following the debate, and I'm tempted to say he was visibly angry. I've been watching his ironically titled show "Hardball" for years now, and even eight years of Bushotopia couldn't wipe the grin off that man's face for more than a moment or two.
I thought Maddow's insight was stellar. And I've decided that Craig Crawford -- frequent guest on the Keith Olbermann show, et al -- had indeed been drinking.
It was a feast that will last well beyond the election itself, as all that I've just alluded to has yet to appear in print form. (MSM dissects the debate, then we get to dissect the dissection.) :weee:
-
All of which seemed to be the mirror image of the many, vast, and varied "conversations" we've had with the die-hard anti-gays over the past few years.
Our nation has officially become, on all levels, a cliche'd version of that conversation - except, of course, for the "undecideds," who watch and read, but for the most part, rarely weigh in because they don't have a definitive political or even ideological position to speak of.
They make decisions (ie; vote) based on their "gut." Which means they make decisions based on avoiding fear (ie; volatile).
And we have only, and exactly one month to reach them before they walk into that polling booth to discover, to their surprise, chagrin and dismay, that they are indeed, racist.
Thoughts?