venting ...

I've been holding back a lot of what I've wanted to say recently. I don't know why. Maybe because I haven't wanted to get into it with the world at large, but it's definitely contributing to my case of the blahs this week.

But I turned on Queensryche's Tribe album today and of course it got me thinking. One of the many, many post 9/11 albums that dealt with the problems in American society, I think it is also one of the most powerful. Say what you want, I know I'm biased, but there's no pulling punches. And much of the blame is leveled on society. The US needs to get it's collective head out of it's very large, french-fry eating ass.

For example ...

Not everyone who disagrees with Obama is racist, no. Hell, I disagree with him more than I agree with him and I support the guy. But it cannot be denied that in the opposition to anything he says, there is a very vocal, minority, subculture undercurrent that is fueled by racism. Even latent racism. They are older, they are white, they were born into segregation and while they always liked that "nice black family" down the street they were never threatened because that family wasn't in power. I think the media is completely overblowing Carter's comments and what people have said. I also think to ignore the reality means we do not move forward. Much of the opposition has used blatant, Jim Crowe era visuals to represent Obama, the White House, etc. (Think watermelons, monkeys, etc.) Remember that before you think that some people aren't fighting him with racist tactics.

Speaking of the president, It doesn't matter that Obama called Kayne a jackass. It was off the record, and if we had a nickle for every time Bush said something stupid off the record, we'd have never had a crash in the economy. And before you talk about the Joe Wilson thing - it's Congress making hay out of that. The President accepted his apology and he moved on.

What drives me crazy is not the lazy, someone-else-can-do-it attitude that permeates this culture. What drives me crazy is that no one bothers to actually think critically anymore. We are all, myself included, reactionary. We do not study our history. We take what is said to us on face value. We refuse to allow ourselves to go through the transformations that will change our lives. We are held back by fear, by the idea that we will not conform to the world, that someone *gasp* will look at us.

We are sheep. Every last one of us. We follow along with our celebrity culture, with our reactionary politics, and as a result, have lost the art of conversation. As a loner, as someone who keeps a few close friends and shuns too much public interaction, I am hardly advocating that everyone step out their door and hug each other ...

... But we have to do something.