as of late i’ve been weary of people who say that this country “isn’t ready” for a female OR african american president. some of my weariness stems from a need for self-preservation. i mean, if clinton or obama doesn’t win the presidency by a significant mandate…dear god, i don’t want to even imagine what that would do to my mental state.
but my main reason for objecting to that kind of logic is that it undermines decades (centuries, really) of grassroots’ struggle for gender and racial equality. it suggests that the feminist and civil rights movements have had little effect on the day to day lives of most americans and that the cultural phenomena sought to be overturned by such movements are still deeply rooted within us.
and through my brain isn’t big enough to discuss the true theoretical intricacies of my argument, it just FEELS wrong to suggest that i, as a woman, am no better off because of feminism or that barack obama, as an aferican american, is no better off because of the civil rights movement. by extension, it FEELS wrong to also suggest that the average american isn’t more open minded and tolerant because of these two “equality” movements (and countless others).
which leads me to recount a recent scene.
mr. D and i were invited by a friend of his to come over to the friend’s house for a late lunch. i had no idea what to expect but i knew four things – the invitee is an older woman, the invitee lives with her long time boyfriend, they live on expansive acreage “out east” or “in the redneck part of town” and this “late lunch” was bound to be an adventure.
upon our arrival, mr. invitee was lovingly washing his gator-type vehicle. he asked if we wanted a ride. why yes! adventure after all. so inside to find ms. invitee we go and it’s decided that we’ll prep some food, have some drinks and then go for a ride.
and what a ride it was! we sped down country roads and highways, mostly on the shoulder going the opposite direction of traffic. my mother, rest her soul, would have punched me. hard. we stopped at a horse farm with a bunch of emaciated horses and an acre or so of barren farm land. prefect for some “off-roadin’”
later, during lunch, the subject turned political. big opps to whoever turned it because it turned let me tell you. downhill. too much and too fast for it to ever fully recover.
“gas prices wouldn’t be so goddamn high if it weren’t for those goddamn towel heads running things over there”, mr. invitee said.
silence.
“and YOU want that ni**er to be president, too”, he added.
more silence.
he finished, “all we need in this country is a ni**er towel head running shit.”
ad VEN ture!
mr. D and i were in shock at this point. and to be honest, i can’t relate the rest of what was said because i was fuming, holding it in and could only sigh once mr. D and i were safely back in our fuel efficient vehicle. kinda like when you have to fart but you’re in a restaurant or some other such public place so it builds and the pressure becomes unbearable and then when you finally get to a place where you can let it rip it just sort of slides out in a wimpy little “pfftt” and you move on. and so it went that mr. D and i could only look at each other and say “that was crazy” and move on.
yeah. so now i’m not sure how i feel about whether we’re “ready” for a female or african american president. i guess i’ll keep my fingers crossed that guys like this with creepy politics just stay home on november 4th.
