Hollywood Actors Raise McCarthyism Specter on Iraq - via Yahoo.
You know me. You know I don't bother with politics very much. I tell people, there're two subjects I almost always refuse to discuss. Religion and politics. Unless you're discussing them with someone of like-mind, they're volatile genres of communication. And half the time I think they're too personal (or should be) to be argued over. Religion especially. Despite what the Christian Coalition wants, I think that that type of belief is individual and singular. And unless someone asks you to share it with them, it's not the type of thing that needs to be painted on every building in Times Square.
But I'm irritated now. I'm beyond irritated. I look at the newspapers and I look at the television and I can't escape this. The world is ripping itself apart. It's tearing at the very definitions of sanity. And no one seems to recognize this.
So I'm going to surrender this Guardian-stance I've acquired. No more standing and watching. I didn't want to have any part of this but it's impossible to EXIST and not get pulled in. So, fine. Here we go.
There is a very frightening double-standard in this country. We champion the right to free speech and the right to have opinions different from the masses and not fear retribution for it, but when you get down to it, it's all bullshit. This is a country that supports the right to free speech, but only if you're speaking what they tell you to. You have the freedom to choose whatever beliefs you want, but only if you choose from the menus they write up. And if you don't believe in them, you're labeled a terrorist. If you say something different, something "uncool," you're blacklisted.
In response to the above article, I can only breathe a massive sigh of relief in response to what the Screen Actours Guild said. Thank god some institution is not afraid to stand up to the ridiculousness running rampant through the world.
This is incredible to me. Incredible because in this supposedly free society we live in, it's massively archaic. They want to use the freedom defense whenever you bring up the war on Iraq (we have to stop Saddam because he's going to take away our freedom!), but the moment you challenge them, they tell you that you shouldn't be allowed to speak. What the fuck?
United States of America, I'm going to put this in big, bold letters for you. So that maybe finally, you can see it spelled out for you.
WAKE UP!
The freedom of speech works BOTH ways. You have the freedom to yell from every rooftop that prayer should be allowed in the schools, and signs should be posted in government offices, but then you cannot, CANNOT tell me that I don't have the right to yell right back at you.
There's your double-standard. Those in the majourity– the Christians, the Republicans, the heterosexual, the white, the Men in Power– have the freedom here. Not you, certainly not me. The Constitution only applies to those people. We are not the Alphas, folks. We're the Betas. And we're supposed to be grateful that we get to breathe the same air as them.
NO.
I refuse to accept that anymore. I've had it. I've reached the absolute peak of my tolerance with this country, with its "freedom," with the people in the subway stations trying to pass me pamphlets telling me of my oncoming damnation, and I've had it with those same people getting offended when I walk right by and ignore them.
What about my freedom of speech? Why is it fair that I get to be targeted for my lack of patriotism and even further lack of desire in this war, but those who agree with G-squared get to call all the shots.
Sorry, folks. Newsflash: The United States was not formed by Christians, as they'd have you believe. The forefathers were diverse, they represented all ranges of beliefs and creeds. And they attempted to bring that fully into the Constitution when they drafted it. It was not a document written for the United Christians of America. It was written for ALL OF US. I am tired of hearing otherwise. So what if you have the majority here? I don't believe what you believe, and– GET THIS– this country was created for the minority.
Why did the Pilgrims come here, again? Because they were persecuted for what they believed in back home. They were the minority there. (Don't point out they were Christians. I'm already aware of that fact– I took high school history. That does nothing to my argument. My argument is that they came here because what they believed in was unpopular where they were.)
This was not a place created to cater to the mass, and you all need to realize that. This was made to stand triumphantly in the face of the mass, in the face of those who would stomp and crush you for what you believed if it wasn't the same as them, and to give them the goddamn middle finger.
Underdogs, it's time to take back this country from the hands of everyone else. I don't know about you, but I know my voice isn't being spoken for anymore. I know my beliefs are not being fought for in Washington D.C. I'm tired of it.
I'm tired of hearing George Bush on television speaking like the biggest puppet in the world. The sad thing is most puppets have the decency to not make it obvious that someone else's hand is up their ass. I'm tired of hearing about this war, I'm tired of hearing about the World Trade Centre and its "heroes."
When Kevin was visiting, he and I went to the WTC site. And yes, it was an incredibly moving experience for me. I was actually surprised by the response I had, as I didn't expect to feel anything, really. But I did. It was sad. I was very hurt by the sheer loss of human life. Note, not American life. Human. Not everyone who died there was a US citizen. Gasp.
But what offended me was the banner calling these people "heroes." This is going to make several people livid at me for stating this– just because you died in the building when it fell does not make you some martyr. Don't mistake me here. What happened was unforgivable and horrendous. But these people did nothing, and I can tell you flat out that if I had been one of the people to go down that day, I would be pissed at being considered a hero. That's a special title reserved for people who do things. The firefighters who actually busted their asses to rescue people– not the ones who stood around and pointed at the clouds of dust– are heroes. The ones who risked their lives for others are the heroes. Please, don't turn the word into a cliche by using it on every whim. We have enough of those words in the English language already.
To the Pat Robertson and George Bush's of the world, I've had enough. I've had enough of hearing about how your rights are being infringed upon by people like me. Grow up. If you honestly believe you're the ones being abused here, you deserved to be hit in the faces with bricks. Repeatedly. Until sense is put back in. And maybe even further.
Your rights are not being taken away at all. Mine are. My right to be adamantly opposed to what you scream in the streets is being taken from me. Because very soon we will devolve back to that era of McCarthy that was such a "dark time" in the nation's history. It's a shame that not a fucking person remembers those things. Hey, I remember them, and I wasn't even alive to experience it. Read books, people. You'd be amazed at the things they can teach you.
The Constitution was built to create a government that was very much divided from religion. Not to build a government that only supported one, and threw all others away. To the founding fathers, who came to build this United States because they had no voices in England, the freedom to disagree was the biggest thing they sought to protect.
It's unfortunate that their efforts will be completely undermined in a few more weeks.
In parting, I just have to say this. I hope some of you read this and manage to look at the world around you differently. Because this little microcosm of a universe is completely unraveling. The walls we've built up are being pushed on from the in and outside, and quite soon one force is going to manage to overcome the opposing one. I've almost completely given up on the hope that we'll manage to come through this with any level of maturity. The deal with the french fries almost solidified that mentality for me. We're too ignorant to deserve salvation. I just hope for the sake of humanity, the gods/goddesses take that into consideration when we're being judged.
14 March 2003 at 8:10 am | No Comments »
proselytizing
