Friday, October 03, 2008
Stupid Politics
The other day, my wife and I noticed that Sarah Palin reminds us of my mother-in-law, who happens to be a big fan of the governor. She doesn't look like Palin, especially, but they have similar personalities and expressions. At first it seemed a little eerie that she would be voting for "herself," but it occurred to me that we all do that, to some extent. On some level, we want the winner of the election to be the one who believes the most like us so that s/he will make the decisions that we would make in his/her position, if we had all the information that s/he would have. And some people will vote for Obama because he is black like they are, and some people will vote against him because he is black and they are not. Polls seem to indicate that the McCain campaign got a real jolt when he announced Palin as his VP, and it seems probably that some people will vote for her because she is a woman (and there are some very conservative people who don't know what to do because they don't want to vote for a woman or Obama). We want to vote for a candidate that remind us of ourselves, especially on our best days. That's why good speakers like JFK are so enrapturing: we want to be like them, that determined and optimistic, even if we are actually cynical. And that's why politics is so personal: we identify with our candidates on some kind of intimate level, and when people dismiss that candidate, it is easy to take it as a personal affront.
I hate how things get every four years at about this time. I have enjoyed listening to NPR with some regularity for the past two years, but right around election time, I just want to punch reporters in the face. I really don't believe in our government. I feel like voting for politicians is just stating who I think will keep screwing up the government less. And definitely, on some level, I'm taking things personally. I have the control not to say anything and to realize that what I'm thinking is untrue, but I find myself joining in the fray of thinking that anyone who doesn't agree with me must be a complete moron instead of a reasonable, thoughtful person who has come to a different conclusion than I have.
Not as any kind of taunt, or because I think the candidate I intend to vote for is so wonderful, but for the sake of our country:
may the best man win.
I hate how things get every four years at about this time. I have enjoyed listening to NPR with some regularity for the past two years, but right around election time, I just want to punch reporters in the face. I really don't believe in our government. I feel like voting for politicians is just stating who I think will keep screwing up the government less. And definitely, on some level, I'm taking things personally. I have the control not to say anything and to realize that what I'm thinking is untrue, but I find myself joining in the fray of thinking that anyone who doesn't agree with me must be a complete moron instead of a reasonable, thoughtful person who has come to a different conclusion than I have.
Not as any kind of taunt, or because I think the candidate I intend to vote for is so wonderful, but for the sake of our country:
may the best man win.
Labels: JFK, politics, Sarah Palin, vote
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Political Musings of John Irving
I've been reading "A Prayer for Owen Meany" lately. The movie "Simon Burch" was based on the book, but kept out all of the political aspects of the book, which is a major theme. I read the following today and loved it. (I turned all of Owen's soliloquy into straight dialogue.)
"What could Marilyn Monroe's death ever have to do with me?"
"IT HAS TO DO WITH ALL OF US. SHE WAS JUST LIKE OUR WHOLE COUNTRY -- NOT QUITE YOUNG ANYMORE, BUT NOT OLD EITHER; A LITTLE BREATHLESS, VERY BEAUTIFUL, MAYBE A LITTLE STUPID, MAYBE A LOT SMARTER THAN SHE SEEMED. AND SHE WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING--I THINK SHE WANTED TO BE GOOD. LOOK AT THE MEN IN HER LIFE--JOE DIMAGGIO, ARTHUR MILLER, MAYBE THE KENNEDYS. LOOK AT HOW GOOD THEY SEEM! LOOK AT HOW DESIRABLE SHE WAS! THAT'S WHAT SHE WAS: SHE WAS DESIRABLE. SHE WAS FUNNY AND SEXY--AND SHE WAS VULNERABLE, TOO. SHE WAS NEVER QUITE HAPPY, SHE WAS ALWAYS JUST A LITTLE OVERWEIGHT. SHE WAS JUST LIKE OUR COUNTRY.
"AND THOSE MEN, THOSE FAMOUS, POWERFUL MEN--DID THEY REALLY LOVE HER? DID THEY TAKE CARE OF HER? IF SHE WAS EVER WITH THE KENNEDYS, THEY COULDN'T HAVE LOVED HER--THEY WERE JUST USING HER, THEY WERE JUST BEING CARELESS AND TREATING THEMSELVES TO A THRILL. THAT'S WHAT POWERFUL MEN DO TO THIS COUNTRY--IT'S A BEAUTIFUL, SEXY, BREATHLESS COUNTRY, AND POWERFUL MEN USE IT TO TREAT THEMSELVES TO A THRILL! THEY SAY THEY LOVE IT BUT THEY DON'T MEAN IT. THEY SAY THINGS TO MAKE THEMSELVES APPEAR GOOD--THEY MAKE THEMSELVES APPEAR MORAL. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT KENNEDY WAS: A MORALIST. BUT HE WAS JUST GIVING US A SNOW JOB, HE WAS JUST BEING A GOOD SEDUCER. I THOUGHT HE WAS A SAVIOR. I THOUGHT HE WANTED TO USE HIS POWER TO DO GOOD. BUT PEOPLE SAY AND DO ANYTHING JUST TO GET THE POWER; THEN THEY'LL USE THE PWOER JUST TO GET A THRILL. MARILYN MONROE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE BEST MAN--MAYBE SHE WANTED THE MAN WITH THE MOST INTEGRITY, MAYBE SHE WANTED THE AN WITH THE MOST ABILITY TO DO GOOD. AND SHE WAS SEDUCE, OVER AND OVER AGAIN--SHE GOT FOOLED, SHE WAS TRICKED, SHE GOT USED, SHE WAS USED UP. JUST LIKE THE COUNTRY. THE COUNTRY WANTS A SAVIOR. THE COUNTRY IS A SUCKER FOR POWERFUL MEN WHO LOOK GOOD. WE THINK THEY'RE MORALISTS AND THEN THEY JUST USE US. THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU AND ME," said Owen Meany. "WE'RE GOING TO BE USED."
Keeping all that in mind in terms of the present election, I find it interesting that both candidates are trying to run on a motto of change, when everyone knows that nothing ever changes: it's just men and women claiming that everyone should not ask what the country should do for them but what they can do for their country, when what they really want is a position of power so that they can get the thrills and perks of power at the expense of the people they are elected to lead/serve. People will say anything to get what they want. And it is mostly not going to come down to issues, but instead how people feel about the morals of the candidates: whether they are thought to have the same beliefs as voters, how they conduct their campaign (defending themselves and smear campaigns and whatnot).
I'm typing this out over conversation around me (because our power is STILL out and we have to borrow electricity and internet from friends), so I'm not able to edit myself or think all the way through my thoughts, but please feel free to respond. It might even help me get my thoughts fleshed out.
"What could Marilyn Monroe's death ever have to do with me?"
"IT HAS TO DO WITH ALL OF US. SHE WAS JUST LIKE OUR WHOLE COUNTRY -- NOT QUITE YOUNG ANYMORE, BUT NOT OLD EITHER; A LITTLE BREATHLESS, VERY BEAUTIFUL, MAYBE A LITTLE STUPID, MAYBE A LOT SMARTER THAN SHE SEEMED. AND SHE WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING--I THINK SHE WANTED TO BE GOOD. LOOK AT THE MEN IN HER LIFE--JOE DIMAGGIO, ARTHUR MILLER, MAYBE THE KENNEDYS. LOOK AT HOW GOOD THEY SEEM! LOOK AT HOW DESIRABLE SHE WAS! THAT'S WHAT SHE WAS: SHE WAS DESIRABLE. SHE WAS FUNNY AND SEXY--AND SHE WAS VULNERABLE, TOO. SHE WAS NEVER QUITE HAPPY, SHE WAS ALWAYS JUST A LITTLE OVERWEIGHT. SHE WAS JUST LIKE OUR COUNTRY.
"AND THOSE MEN, THOSE FAMOUS, POWERFUL MEN--DID THEY REALLY LOVE HER? DID THEY TAKE CARE OF HER? IF SHE WAS EVER WITH THE KENNEDYS, THEY COULDN'T HAVE LOVED HER--THEY WERE JUST USING HER, THEY WERE JUST BEING CARELESS AND TREATING THEMSELVES TO A THRILL. THAT'S WHAT POWERFUL MEN DO TO THIS COUNTRY--IT'S A BEAUTIFUL, SEXY, BREATHLESS COUNTRY, AND POWERFUL MEN USE IT TO TREAT THEMSELVES TO A THRILL! THEY SAY THEY LOVE IT BUT THEY DON'T MEAN IT. THEY SAY THINGS TO MAKE THEMSELVES APPEAR GOOD--THEY MAKE THEMSELVES APPEAR MORAL. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT KENNEDY WAS: A MORALIST. BUT HE WAS JUST GIVING US A SNOW JOB, HE WAS JUST BEING A GOOD SEDUCER. I THOUGHT HE WAS A SAVIOR. I THOUGHT HE WANTED TO USE HIS POWER TO DO GOOD. BUT PEOPLE SAY AND DO ANYTHING JUST TO GET THE POWER; THEN THEY'LL USE THE PWOER JUST TO GET A THRILL. MARILYN MONROE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE BEST MAN--MAYBE SHE WANTED THE MAN WITH THE MOST INTEGRITY, MAYBE SHE WANTED THE AN WITH THE MOST ABILITY TO DO GOOD. AND SHE WAS SEDUCE, OVER AND OVER AGAIN--SHE GOT FOOLED, SHE WAS TRICKED, SHE GOT USED, SHE WAS USED UP. JUST LIKE THE COUNTRY. THE COUNTRY WANTS A SAVIOR. THE COUNTRY IS A SUCKER FOR POWERFUL MEN WHO LOOK GOOD. WE THINK THEY'RE MORALISTS AND THEN THEY JUST USE US. THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO YOU AND ME," said Owen Meany. "WE'RE GOING TO BE USED."
Keeping all that in mind in terms of the present election, I find it interesting that both candidates are trying to run on a motto of change, when everyone knows that nothing ever changes: it's just men and women claiming that everyone should not ask what the country should do for them but what they can do for their country, when what they really want is a position of power so that they can get the thrills and perks of power at the expense of the people they are elected to lead/serve. People will say anything to get what they want. And it is mostly not going to come down to issues, but instead how people feel about the morals of the candidates: whether they are thought to have the same beliefs as voters, how they conduct their campaign (defending themselves and smear campaigns and whatnot).
I'm typing this out over conversation around me (because our power is STILL out and we have to borrow electricity and internet from friends), so I'm not able to edit myself or think all the way through my thoughts, but please feel free to respond. It might even help me get my thoughts fleshed out.
Labels: John Irving, Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Owen Meany, politics
