Sunday is protest day

10.03.2004

A few dozen old hippies in front of the court house w/ their Coca-Cola politics & can't-keep-a-beat drumming. I'll admit the subtle pleasure of walking past them w/ my IDF t-shirt on my way to buy new issues of The New Republic (the new issue of Reason wasn't in) from Michigan News Agency. Then I drove past a few hundred pro-lifers spread out all the way down Westnedge to Target (about 2 miles).

I've no idea which group felt more sanctimonious than the other. They both claim to represent some "silent majority" — interestingly, a defining characteristic of a silent majority should be its silence (i.e. not protesting). Fortunately, my generation (at least the ones who wish white suburbanites had slept through the 60s) comes to the rescue.

Vice Magazine has a brief article on "Hippy Fascists" that's just brilliant. It's always nice to know there are lefties out there sick & tired of other lefties who resort to cheap tactics. So many bad arguments, so much logical inconsistency.

Like attacking Bush for his bad grammar. Oooh! Brilliant. Of all the many, many possible lines along which to challenge Bush, that's what you settled on? Dialect & pronunciation? Let me get this straight: If a Texan drawl is inappropriate, I suppose so's Spanglish & Ebonics, right? After all, only a complete idiot can't speak proper English, right? "You're in America, damnit, speak English." Is that a position you "progressives" really wanna support?

Also, a little pet peeve of mine is the "this is the most important election in our lifetimes" rhetoric. Really? This one? I'm only 29. So you're telling me that this is the most important US presidential election I can expect to see for the next 40+ years? This one?

There seems to be the implicit assumption, in that kind of statement, that if we don't vote "the right way" (whatever that is) in this election then the apocalypse or something will come down upon us, there will be irreparable harm done to our society, harm from which we'll never recover from, and we'll return to the Dark Ages of politics the likes of which we can barely imagine. Fear mongering?

Come on. This is an election between two guys w/ moderately different economic plans (Keynesian vs. supply-side economics) & similar Iraq policies (stay the course until final victory) — an election between an arrogant Texan & an arrogant Eastie, both born w/ silver spoons in their mouths, both graduates of Yale & members of the same secret society. And this is the most important election I'll ever see in my lifetime?

Please. Get a grip.

Posted by Miguel at 09:56 PM

Comments

Haha, wasn't your day, ha? I never thought of this stuff this way. Interesting, N.

Posted by: Nenad at October 4, 2004 08:08 AM

Excellent. I'm tired of the whole Vote or Die and "most important" election, etc... It's just not,er...true. Won't this make young people even more cynical when they realize this ("most important election in our lifetime!") is a lie?

Posted by: j.scott barnard at October 4, 2004 01:04 PM

Good post... I like these. Reminds me why I like being back from Oregon and those crazy hippies... ah.

Posted by: sam at October 4, 2004 05:08 PM