Baby, what I say

[jlh]

I'm spamming, because I care.

Or don't care. I spent my adolescence under the presidency of one Ronald Wilson Reagan. I am sorry that he and his family had to suffer so over the past 15 years, and in that country way, I'm glad their suffering and his has come to an end. And that's . . . about it. This is the most obvious sin, but there is also setting back as many of the hard-won civil rights gains as the courts would let him, supporting plenty of ten-cent dictators and banana republics just because they were anti-communist, and let's not even get into his attitudes about women. He did nothing for me except run up an enormous deficit and co-opt patriotism for the right. Saying that a liberal hates their country is as bad as Barthes' saying that there are no lies on the left. Are we surprised that he began his career (as the governor of California) by firing the president of UC because he didn't come down hard enough on the Free Speech Movement? So, basically, I'm down with this.

ETA: copperbadge's excellent icon, commissioned by heidi8, inspired by malsperanza

Comments

[wordplay.livejournal.com]

It has been an odd thing, because he was the first president I remember being elected so he's iconic to my mind. He's also the first elected official I remember thinking was a complete fuckwit, so he's doubly special. When I heard that he died on Saturday it gave me pause, not because I was all broken up but because so much of my political coming of age was about him and his regime; I was 8 when he was elected and 20 when Clinton beat Bush and my politics were, for a long time, Reagan-Bush reactionary. Having spent my adolescence under his politics has actually made me react more, I think, but in a strange way.

That said, the Great Communicator brigade can go jump in a lake. I could also really do without the Ronald/Nancy omgtheirloveissopureandapolitical bullshit. And I never need to hear another one of his love letters or the "tear down that wall" speech ever again.

Good spam. Right fitting choice of music; was it REALLY playing? ;D

[adjudicated.livejournal.com]

Agreed. You and I are the same age, so likely have similar perspectives on that era, and I couldn't agree more with what you've said. I don't wish anyone pain and suffering, and I'm glad his physical suffering has ended; however, I refuse to canonize this dude.

[uberlibra.livejournal.com]

here here.

[malsperanza.livejournal.com]

Word. You're a nicer person than I am. ;-) Remembering what it was like to die of AIDS before AZT existed (or this country gave a damn), I'm mean-spirited enough to be glad the bastard spent 20 years with Alzheimer's. I regret only that the first 4 of them were during his second term as president.

Not to mention all the other damage, starting with, "Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." It'll take half a century to undo that debacle, if we ever get the chance.

Faugh, pfui. I will listen to Ray and the Rayettes today, and celebrate a real American.

[debellatrix.livejournal.com]

So with you on this.

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

Am so confused. Woe.:(

[jlh.livejournal.com]

Confused by what?

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

I just...dont know what to think. I respect my flist and I respect my family and I get two completely different views from both. I dont know wheteher I should like Reagan or hate him.

[jlh.livejournal.com]

You should look into the evidence and decide where your priorities are. That's what I do. My priorities are with gay rights and race and gender issues, and not supporting dictatorships. They aren't with cutting taxes or funding a strong military or playing whose-is-bigger with world leader X. But your priorities might be different.

That said, I've recognized that for some people, their political views are just that, and for other people (often members of minority groups) their political views are a matter of life or death. So once you make up your mind you have to be ready for people to disagree with you, sometimes vigorously. That's just the way it goes.

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

Sorry.:(

[jlh.livejournal.com]

Why? I was only trying to explain that you have to build your own political beliefs based on what you think is important. You can decide to do exactly as you please; I don't actually care one way or the other. But if you try to base it on what people you "respect" think, then you are going to be batted about like a pingpong ball, because they won't all agree, ever.

[1anonymous1.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I thought I said something stupid.:"(

I try to do that, and in that respect I care about a lot of the things you said before. But at the same time when it comes to certain issues or people I dont know where to go to get the facts. Everything seems so biased.

[jessindistress.livejournal.com]

(((huge hugs)))

Thankyou. I'm not American, and the airwaves out here have been filled with him all day.

One of his cronies said that one of the great things he did was cut money to welfare programs.

Great. I mean, yes, Alzheimers' is horrible, and having a family member go through terminal illness is hellish. But that doesn't make him a decent person when he was alive.

Anyone against freedom of speech, and who hates the poor is not going to get sympathy from me when he dies. My Mum told me a bit about what he got up to, and Petri remembers a lot more than I did... and from what I've read about him... well...

I really don't understand why Australia is presumed to be nuts about him, either.

~Jess