So I am all over the Obama bandwagon...like all over it. I have hung out with everyone in the bandwagon, fixed the squeaky wheel once, and bedazzled the hell out of the bandwagon. Having said that, he gets a big old F for gay rights at the moment, and many of his supporters, me included, get failing marks for letting him get away with it. More importantly, supporters of equality get a failing grade for continuing to elect politicians who do not advance the gay agenda.
I don't like that phrase- "gay agenda" because it's not gay, and it's not an agenda. It is so much bigger than those words- it is a fight for equality- ya, that's the ticket. But seriously, it isn't about being gay or straight, just like the civil rights movement wasn't about being black or white. Gay marriage, and many of the other pieces of the "gay agenda" are about being a fully realized, valued, and free human being.
Most of the people reading this (all 2 of you) are probably totally onboard with gay marriage. So I will only provide a brief summary of the argument for gay marriage. EQUAL.RIGHTS.
Okay, a little bit longer of an explanation- there are some 1,100 rights associated with being married, and when you deny marriage to people based on sexual orientation, you deny them those rights. So why does the state even get involved in marriage? Maybe it should totally be left to the church. But it isn't, and so long as the state is handing out marriage licenses, which come with a neat little bundle of special boxes to check on your taxes, visitation rights, and whole areas of law, the state needs to be handing out marriage equally. The argument for the state being involved in marriage has to do with how important marriage is to society- 2 people get married, and then have babies, and buy houses, and have jobs, and raise those kids to get married and have more little shitheads...err babies. But guess what- society isn't doing it that way anymore. The divorce rate is at 50%, married people aren't having babies, and a lot of single people are. Hey, men aren't even necessary anymore in getting a kid!!! Sorry dudes. So unless the state is going to restrict marriage to virile heterosexual couples who want to pop out kids, it is time to really evaluate what the state is doing in the wedding business.
Sorry, big digression there. I will save Michelle's detailed plans for government for another time. Back to my call to action. A freaking judge in TEXAS, yes, TEXAS ruled that the state's constitutional ban on gay marriage "violates the federal constitutional right to equal protection." We will see where that goes. So where are all the pissed off people in so-called blue states, like New York, which should so obviously legalize gay marriage before TEXAS!!!! Well, the people here want gay marriage- the people I hang out with anyway, but they aren't really so upset about it not happening right away, seeing as how it doesn't affect them much. Listen kiddies...it affects you!!!
California is the perfect example of our idleness. Everyone was totally right to think California would never pass Prop 8. Except for how they were wrong. I think people just assumed, because they didn't see the discrimination everyday, that California was down with the Gays. And then a barely realized right was taken away from a number of people who had thought that the place they lived and the people around them accepted them as equal. Because when you don't support gay marriage- Miss sketchy California- you are saying, no offense, that homosexuals aren't the same, and that difference makes them less equal. It's not about religion, or preference, or tradition- it is about equality.
You can't just be down with the gays- you have to be willing to vote out politicians, march on Washington, get pissed off, fight with your Dad (not my Dad, he is totally down with the gays), and hold the people in power responsible for denying rights to your fellow human beings. Obama's got a lot going on right now, but I'm pretty sure they give him a big staff so that he can multitask. He did a good thing in saying he was going to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell. But he didn't even give it a sketchy timeline- the Iraq war has a sketchy timeline, and Iraq is well..sketchy!!! So vote for the other guy- the one not in office, or write one more letter, or yell at one more person on the street. Be revolutionary! We just can't keep saying- it takes time. Because rights don't get better the longer you wait for them.
"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied." ~Letter from a Birmingham Jail
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Look Up!
What do Blackberries have to do with the revolution you ask? A lot. Let me explain.
For as long as the Sidekick/Palm Pilot/Blackberry have existed, I have had a strange aversion to them. Maybe this makes me seem old, uncool, out of touch, or all of the above. I probably am. But I just find them to be really obtrusive and am annoyed to no end when the people around me use them in my presence. A few moments stand out to me. I was invited over to a friends house for dinner, and as the 7 of us sat around the coffee table, 4 of the people there pulled out their various electronic devices and conducted what I can only assume was life-saving texting. One of my very best friends came and visited me recently, and as a group of us walked down the street, they were all completely immersed in their blackberries; even though they had wanted to walk around to "see the sites" (If you are reading this friend, I apologize for calling you out, I love you, and hey, look you inspired a blog!).
Now I am by no means against technology. I love TV, the internet, instant messaging, and I swear DVR is the best invention of the 21st century- and probably the 20th as well. I use my cellphone all the time as a way not to interact with strangers; pretending I am on an important phone call because I know that lady with the crazy eye wants to chat. But now I have friends who won't talk on the phone, choosing instead to send me like 30 text messages to tell me about their drunken night, or who pick up their blackberry at the first lapse in conversation. Don't even get me started on sexting, or whatever, because if you can't at least pick up the phone to let me know you would like to hook up with me, then I am not wasting a precious free text message responding to you.
This addiction to the blackberry makes me sad. Because, like I said to my visiting friend- don't you want to look up and see what is going on around you. How do you take in the wonder of the world if you have this little screen of information that shuts everything else out? I have noticed that the more people spend with their electronics, the less able they are to have conversations about the world around them. I was in a museum recently, and over half the people in there were either rushing through taking pictures, or strolling through the Picasso's checking the weather in their hand. Why did you even show up, and what did you hope to gain?
Those little lulls in conversation that are the perfect opportunity to check your phone, well they are also the perfect opportunity to change the dialogue. Did you read the article about gay marriage? Can you believe that the cops arrested a guy for burglarizing his own home? Those lulls are the opportunity to talk about the big stuff. They are also the opportunity to look around, see that woman in the hideous outfit, point her out to your companions, and spend the next 30 minutes in hysterical laughter. You missed the man with a squirrel on his shoulder because you were checking your twitter!!!! Unforgiveable.
Technology is such a huge benefit to the revolution; it connects us, it gives us access to endless amounts of information and it organizes us. At the same time, technology is a tool and not a lifestyle. At the end of the day, I am talking to a human, not a blackberry. Although, ironically, right now I am talking to a computer, not a person...
For as long as the Sidekick/Palm Pilot/Blackberry have existed, I have had a strange aversion to them. Maybe this makes me seem old, uncool, out of touch, or all of the above. I probably am. But I just find them to be really obtrusive and am annoyed to no end when the people around me use them in my presence. A few moments stand out to me. I was invited over to a friends house for dinner, and as the 7 of us sat around the coffee table, 4 of the people there pulled out their various electronic devices and conducted what I can only assume was life-saving texting. One of my very best friends came and visited me recently, and as a group of us walked down the street, they were all completely immersed in their blackberries; even though they had wanted to walk around to "see the sites" (If you are reading this friend, I apologize for calling you out, I love you, and hey, look you inspired a blog!).
Now I am by no means against technology. I love TV, the internet, instant messaging, and I swear DVR is the best invention of the 21st century- and probably the 20th as well. I use my cellphone all the time as a way not to interact with strangers; pretending I am on an important phone call because I know that lady with the crazy eye wants to chat. But now I have friends who won't talk on the phone, choosing instead to send me like 30 text messages to tell me about their drunken night, or who pick up their blackberry at the first lapse in conversation. Don't even get me started on sexting, or whatever, because if you can't at least pick up the phone to let me know you would like to hook up with me, then I am not wasting a precious free text message responding to you.
This addiction to the blackberry makes me sad. Because, like I said to my visiting friend- don't you want to look up and see what is going on around you. How do you take in the wonder of the world if you have this little screen of information that shuts everything else out? I have noticed that the more people spend with their electronics, the less able they are to have conversations about the world around them. I was in a museum recently, and over half the people in there were either rushing through taking pictures, or strolling through the Picasso's checking the weather in their hand. Why did you even show up, and what did you hope to gain?
Those little lulls in conversation that are the perfect opportunity to check your phone, well they are also the perfect opportunity to change the dialogue. Did you read the article about gay marriage? Can you believe that the cops arrested a guy for burglarizing his own home? Those lulls are the opportunity to talk about the big stuff. They are also the opportunity to look around, see that woman in the hideous outfit, point her out to your companions, and spend the next 30 minutes in hysterical laughter. You missed the man with a squirrel on his shoulder because you were checking your twitter!!!! Unforgiveable.
Technology is such a huge benefit to the revolution; it connects us, it gives us access to endless amounts of information and it organizes us. At the same time, technology is a tool and not a lifestyle. At the end of the day, I am talking to a human, not a blackberry. Although, ironically, right now I am talking to a computer, not a person...
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The beginning of the beginning.
As I am sure most bloggers before me have written- I have finally given in and started a blog. I have pondered on it for a long time, and as I find myself rambling in the comments section of a number of online news sites, I realized that maybe I should just have my own page. I also have to give a shout out to Nicole Jackson, who pushed me over the edge by having an awesome blog of her own.
So, why the title "Memoirs of a Wannabe Revolutionary" you ask? Okay no one is reading this yet, so I guess no one is asking that. A long time ago, I decided that one day I would write a book with that title, and it would be kind of a how-to book coupled with personal stories about me trying to change the world, only to find out that even getting into the right circles to change the world was hard work. But, has anyone ever tried to write a book? It is really freaking hard! And, I never even really tried; but I do have a few random pages of notes that I hoped one day would transform into a book.
But, this blogging things seems like way less commitment than sitting in front of a blank screen trying to write a book, and I don't even know how you write a book, let alone get one published. However, I should warn that I am not particularly tech savvy, so this blog will not be at the cutting edge of anything. Well except my awesome words of wisdom, those are totally cutting edge.
If you have stumbled across this blog by chance, or if you happened upon it because I worked up the nerve to share the link with people, here is some insight as to what you can except as I progress. I hope to discuss current events, specifically politics, and also throw in some pop culture. I am sure some of my topics will include my love for Obama, my distaste for Republicans in general, my anger at injustice, my obsession with shiny objects, and a ton of rants about the state of the world, including human rights, war, and globalization. In between, I will look through some of my notes and give some amazing insight into my Memoirs, including why I don't like Oprah and why I am just wannabe revolutionary.
Now, for a few things about me. I type as I think, so I will use a lot of commas and I overuse the word "so." I am from California, went to law school in Boston, and now live in NYC. This has created a number of interesting slang terms which I think are funny but may seem dumb to people who don't know me or maybe there full value is lost with the written word. I am also incredibly sarcastic. I currently work as an underpaid policy analyst, even though I went to law school and have the debt to prove it. I should have sold out and worked for a big firm (assuming I could have even gotten an interview) but as much as I bitch and moan, I set out to change the world, and I think my soul would shrivel and die if I ever did anything besides work for social change. I was raised catholic and am now a confirmed atheist, as so many catholics are.
Well, I think this qualifies as a sufficient first post. If you come across this blog, please feel free to comment on anything- my lack of grammar, topics you want me to write about, or talk about yourself, people like that.
So, why the title "Memoirs of a Wannabe Revolutionary" you ask? Okay no one is reading this yet, so I guess no one is asking that. A long time ago, I decided that one day I would write a book with that title, and it would be kind of a how-to book coupled with personal stories about me trying to change the world, only to find out that even getting into the right circles to change the world was hard work. But, has anyone ever tried to write a book? It is really freaking hard! And, I never even really tried; but I do have a few random pages of notes that I hoped one day would transform into a book.
But, this blogging things seems like way less commitment than sitting in front of a blank screen trying to write a book, and I don't even know how you write a book, let alone get one published. However, I should warn that I am not particularly tech savvy, so this blog will not be at the cutting edge of anything. Well except my awesome words of wisdom, those are totally cutting edge.
If you have stumbled across this blog by chance, or if you happened upon it because I worked up the nerve to share the link with people, here is some insight as to what you can except as I progress. I hope to discuss current events, specifically politics, and also throw in some pop culture. I am sure some of my topics will include my love for Obama, my distaste for Republicans in general, my anger at injustice, my obsession with shiny objects, and a ton of rants about the state of the world, including human rights, war, and globalization. In between, I will look through some of my notes and give some amazing insight into my Memoirs, including why I don't like Oprah and why I am just wannabe revolutionary.
Now, for a few things about me. I type as I think, so I will use a lot of commas and I overuse the word "so." I am from California, went to law school in Boston, and now live in NYC. This has created a number of interesting slang terms which I think are funny but may seem dumb to people who don't know me or maybe there full value is lost with the written word. I am also incredibly sarcastic. I currently work as an underpaid policy analyst, even though I went to law school and have the debt to prove it. I should have sold out and worked for a big firm (assuming I could have even gotten an interview) but as much as I bitch and moan, I set out to change the world, and I think my soul would shrivel and die if I ever did anything besides work for social change. I was raised catholic and am now a confirmed atheist, as so many catholics are.
Well, I think this qualifies as a sufficient first post. If you come across this blog, please feel free to comment on anything- my lack of grammar, topics you want me to write about, or talk about yourself, people like that.
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