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Lefty Cooties: Anyone Else Have 'Em?
The holiday season brings out so much: alcoholism, fascism, old abuses, new accusations, etc. This week brought us to a new discovery: We have lefty cooties.
It seems our activism (such as it is--which is rather tepid, in our opinion) has caused consternation among some friends, leading to the ever-pleasant opportunity to reflect upon our actions of the past year and contemplate where we have gone wrong in our efforts to bring democracy to DC. In other words, we have a case of lefty cooties, and they are apparently contagious.
(Details are unimportant; suffice it to say that our support of various organizations who favor speaking truth to power is considered unseemly and futile. On the futility front, we have those days too...)
But all this has lead me to wonder how all of you are faring in this 2008 climate. For us, it has been a year of struggles with trying to find the right pathway, the best messages, the most responsible and responsive actions, moments of insight and horror, inspiration and frustration. We have had successes (usually helping out activists in small ways, but also participating in some positive actions, such as the Spine Awards and helping the Heinz folks with some messaging out on the environment, and the waterboarding exhibition a few weeks ago) and some moments of extreme frustration (the Arar hearings in which the US--or at least, the Republicans on that committee came across as heartless idiots, the GAO report hearings--in which we discovered that the number of opinions on the Iraq surge are exceeded only by the numbers of sets of statistics on that surge, etc.). On the whole, we think we do good work and we don't cross lines we don't believe in crossing.
But we have found that fear causes strange behaviors. The underlying messages of imminent attack, terrorists crossing the borders, Iran's nuclear weapons program (and we're not worried about PAKISTAN'S nuclear capabilities???), and all forms of xenophobia seem to manifest into dichotomies: jingoism or revolutionary fervor. Jingoism (let's get them before they get us) seems to lead to a reactionary and defensive stance, in which protest is seen as unpatriotic and divisive. On the other hand, the revolutionary fervor can lead to aggressiveness and a severe lack of forethought.
Our more moderate approach to protest (let's sketch it out and figure out the goal) is what has apparently led to the beliefs that we are either: A. Lunatics of the Left, or B. Counter-Revolutionaries. And so it goes.
As we move ahead into the planning for the actions of 2008 (all of which are in service of changing hearts and minds in the direction of wanting and being willing to fight for truth and democracy), I ask all of you to help us. First question: Where are your loved ones sitting on the issue of taking actions? Do they tend to approve or disapprove of the efforts of groups such as Code Pink, the Backbone Campaign, PDA, AfterDowningStreet, etc. Do your loved ones want impeachment on the table? Do you even dare bring it up? Or do you have Lefty Cooties too?
Under the fold: The Ontario Four CAR has been released from prison! And you know what? It never talked...
photo above: R Bell
The car, free at last
photo below: R Bell
A much relieved Lenna, ever composed and sane.
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Karen
The futility is in their argument. The question is always: is it better to work within the system or outside it? The answer is always: both, because it is always necessary.
I like the Quakers because they encourage activism politically and/or spiritually to the degree the individual fits. It's two intertwining poles. There is no pressure to be more one or the other.
I am so content that at Thanksgiving it is usually just me, my husband, my son and Henry from Thailand. Some years we have a few friends over. Everything else is by phone .. if
Oh .. by the way
Some Vets group called me yesterday and I have taken to being skeptical of any phone callers. I did find out it benefits Washington vets and did finally pledge fifteen bucks. I said, "I support the troops but not the war and I want Bush impeached." They person on the other end of the line said they agreed, but it wasn't the caller, it was the supervisor who called back to confirm details.
I find that at work where it's fairly apolitical and can be conservative, I have earned respect for political work. For one thing, I don't discuss it much, as that's not what we're there for. Over time though, the know I am politically active and will watch for me on the news when there is an action. Someone brought me a "Bush: International Terrorist" bumper sticker from NYC and someone else gave me a Bush Countdown one.
People would like to do more than they dare to do, I think, but they are not strong enough. It's like middle school - peer pressure - can go in either direction. I think it's best to follow our consciences and not assume everyone will agree because they won't.
That said, it's been amazing to me to watch the same high schoolers who stood out on the overpasses with American flags after 9/11 change over to antiwar protesters - there have been quite a few! It always makes me uneasy when people shift like that but there are quite a few with fickle convictions and the opinion mongers count on this!
Regarding my leftie-cooties...
Well, let's see. On my hubby's side of the family, we avoided all discussion related to anything that truly matters except gas prices and the 'threat of Iran.' I didn't speak. Afterall, how can I say a word without indicting the people they support?
And my hubby would be very upset to have a 'debate' or heated discussion on this.
Regarding my family, well...we're mostly all in the same ideology with regards to healthcare, environment, businesses, labor, etc...but whereas I work hard to get impeachment on the table, my side says, "While the current crops of Democratic people are in office, there will be no impeachment."
So...does that make them 'moderate' and me 'left' or does that make me more active and them more passive? Is that the difference between the moderates and the left? One side is passive, just waiting for next time--and the other side is active saying, "We have no time to wait for next time!"
Congrats on the Ontario Four getting their car back!
On the subject, I'm gathering as many facts as possible - and that is helping me reinform my reactionary family members, even if it doesn't change their opinions overnight.
Thanks to me, they now know that (1) it was NOT the Republicans who sent troops to protect South Korea and South Vietnam, and (2) Reverend Moon was planted in the US by the South Korean government to install as many right-wing hawks in the US government as possible, to prevent a repeat of South Vietnam's fate.
Sparrow - your situation sounds much like mine.
I have had the lefty cooties with my husband's family for years now. Every once in a while one of the hard core right wingers there will try to engage me on it, but mostly just to get a rise out of me. They end up getting irritated and dropping it, because I have the factson my side, and I remain calm.
My family (other than my brother) is more in line with my thinking. I have a cousin in DC who is quite active, and her son is even more so - I'm sure he and Karen have crossed paths a few times, although he is now in Florida - he comes back for big actions.
Most of us were not active, until this administration.
YAY!! for woz! YAY!! for RossiAnn!!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2338229
Woo, hoo!
Carol,
The problem I have with my family is that we sit there and discuss oil and the cost of gas, the cost of living, the cost of healthcare, and all that. Then we discuss the widening gap between the rich and the poor.
It sounds like the same conversations in my family's house verbatim.
So...that certainly appears to show a disconnect between reality and the partys out here.
And you can see that both sides agree on the facts. But one side isn't willing to admit that they need to change their party's agenda. And the other side doesn't understand that they need to make their party that says what they want and does the other to change as well.
That's why I am to the point of thinking that the 'far left' and the 'far right' simply stands for the activists and the moderates stand for anyone who basically doesn't have the inclination to get involved more actively.
(Correction--Should read..."the problem I have with my hubby's family is that we..."
I must admit that I have a self induced case of Cooties. Is there more I could do? Yes, but........
I have gotten to the point where my anger is exceeded only by my utter frustration. What I believe is too frightening for others to accept. I can be certain that if the conversation evolved to the point where I even mentioned we live in a society where fascism is the ultimate result, nobody would ever again engage me in conversation. I would be considered "one of those nuts."
Protest seems futile because so few people actually understand our Constitution's purpose. Many of our fellow citizens are criminally negligent and ignorant (Is it a crime to be stupid and uninformed?).
At work, where I am the boss, my employees understand my visceral disgust with our President and his administration. They enjoy the Bushisms calendar I keep on my desk and laugh along with me at his pathetic stupidity. They also enjoy my countdown clock and know that I have little tolerance for those who would defend him.
My coworkers don't know that as I was growing up, my father used to warn me what happened to the Jews in Germany could happen anywhere. They don't know I used to roll my eyes and say, "Sure dad." Today, I do not roll my eyes. I don't liken what is happening today to the holocaust, but I do see the frightening similarities of the erosion of the rule of law and the state's destruction of our civil rights.
Maybe one day, I will be scared enough to say something, but.......
Oncall,
You have nothing to be ashamed of. You have done well! You've had your 10 points of facism posted in the doctor's lounge. You started your local organization. You have marched in parades. You've had numerous LTE's published. And you've engaged others in discussion. (I know...I've seen the emails you send out with notes attached.)
But also, your kids and your wife and your community have learned from you-yourself. You have made a difference, Oncall.
I suspect that you are more to the point where I am. And that point is the point of saying something or self-imploding and crossing the line completely.
When I was a college student who came home for the holidays in the mid-1960s (to Virginia, from school "up north"), my parents' friends were merciless as soon as they detected my growing opposition to the Vietnam War.
Now the problem was that most of these women were great southern cooks, and I liked nothing more than the wonderful meals they put together for the holidays, after college dining hall food.
But I could barely eat. The war opened the door to the rest of the "radical" litany: isn't it great how the death penalty deters crime? etc. etc. And sucker that I was, I could not restrain myself from trying to change a few hearts and minds, alas to no avail. Meanwhile, my food was getting cold, and there was rarely time for seconds. (The horror!)
After two years of misery, my brother joined me at the hated Yanke university, and suddenly my meal problem was solved, since my brother's political views were now as suspect as my own.
We struck a pact: we would take turns defending the radical barricades: while I downed the sweet potatoes with crusty browned little marshmallows on top, he would hold the fort. Then we would switch, so he could dive into the cream of mushroom green bean dish with the friend onion shreds from a can on top. It wasn't always pretty, but at least we got fed.
So my advice for those of you with lefty cooties headed for family gatherings is, always travel in pairs.
RIchard
Somehow that reminds me of the old couple from North Dakota that my mom told me about today. They go to all the funerals around town because if they sit through them they get fed. Then they sit at the truck stop talking about which funeral had the best sandwiches etc.
Richard,
Our family gatherings are very interesting as well. My oldest brother is a Stanford and University of Chicago graduate. For many years he has been devoted to the Libertarian Party. My second oldest brother is not a Republican but is especially conservative. He is what people like to call an "independent". As a matter of fact, during the last Presidential election he voted for a write in (Lieberman..... sad but true). My younger brother and I have similar political views but mine are a bit more "liberal". Four brothers, all really good eaters. We make sure that enough food gets spread around between us. We also make sure the opinions get their fair presentations as well. Sometimes, the arguments get very heated. But all is well, when we start eating desert.