Six weeks.
Sep. 18th, 2004 11:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jlhAbout the political stuff. If someone said in 1964 that they felt that beating back Khrushchev was more important than the civil rights situation in the south and therefore they were voting for Goldwater, they would have been within their rights to do so. However, they shouldn't have been surprised that any Black friends they might have had would take it personally, wondering that a friend of theirs would actually put something ahead of their right to vote/go to school/even exist.
Change 1964 to 2004, Khrushchev to whatever large issue someone might agree with Bush on (terrorism, Iraq, etc.), civil rights for gay rights, and Blacks for gays, and hopefully you'll begin to understand what's been going on. It makes me very sad to see that it really is mostly those who have a personal understanding of predjudice and identity politics that are on the front lines of this. I know, because I have seen, that you don't have to be a person of color, or Jewish, or gay or lesbian yourself to have this visceral understanding of these issues, but it really seems to help, and that's too bad.
So be honest! Come right out and say, "I'm voting for Bush because I honestly feel that his stance on [insert your issue here] is more important to me and to the future of this country than his stance against gay rights."
And if you feel that way, less power to you.
Change 1964 to 2004, Khrushchev to whatever large issue someone might agree with Bush on (terrorism, Iraq, etc.), civil rights for gay rights, and Blacks for gays, and hopefully you'll begin to understand what's been going on. It makes me very sad to see that it really is mostly those who have a personal understanding of predjudice and identity politics that are on the front lines of this. I know, because I have seen, that you don't have to be a person of color, or Jewish, or gay or lesbian yourself to have this visceral understanding of these issues, but it really seems to help, and that's too bad.
So be honest! Come right out and say, "I'm voting for Bush because I honestly feel that his stance on [insert your issue here] is more important to me and to the future of this country than his stance against gay rights."
And if you feel that way, less power to you.
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-19 09:24 am (UTC)I guess I just don't understand how it can be difficult- which proves the point that people have a hard time getting into other people's shoes sometimes, I suppose. :)
It's just- I'm about as far away from the profile of someone who is discriminated against as I can be- I grew up upper middle class, white, and in ALABAMA. If this makes me so angry, how can people who were more exposed to the issues not even realize the issue?