Thursday, July 21, 2016

Unfriended and Blocked

I got unfriended and blocked on Facebook last night for being racist. Specifically, I shared a video that had side-by-side comparisons of clips of speeches by Deval Patrick, John Edwards and Barack Obama. These speeches were loaded with quotes, by the way. I added a comment: "There are probably examples galore, Republicans and Democrats alike."

Apparently, Melania Trump's speechwriters cribbing from Michelle Obama's speechwriters is "rhetorical blackface," but Barack Obama's speechwriters cribbing other politicians' speechwriters is Advancing The Cause, and using Barack Obama as an example of politician's speechwriters cribbing each other is racist. A high school friend chimed in with text and photos about Donald Trump helping and being helped by African American politicians and celebrities. He got labeled as a racist, too.

Big Oil representative George W. Bush stole an election and got us into a war in Iraq, but I have to give his speechwriters credit for making me ask myself if I engaged in "the bigotry of low expectations." I think Barack Obama was too stiff-necked and too ivory tower to work with Congress effectively. However, I admire Barack Obama for something for which other people hate him: he apologized to the people of other countries for our imperialistic behavior toward them. That took courage, unless it was written into the First Black President script.

I may be cynical, but I'm cynical about politicians of all races. I think of them as employees of the Plutocracy. They help the Plutocracy put on a good show that helps us think that we have a voice in how we are governed. They all have their roles to play. Donald Trump is acting out the Asshole Who Gets Things Done script. Hillary Clinton wants to act out the First Woman President script. It doesn't matter which of them gets elected, since anyone who gets elected to the office of POTUS is merely a figurehead. He or she will be acting out a script. Same for just about any elected representative. They don't represent us, they represent the Plutocracy to us.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

WTF, Dad?

The boy threw me a curve ball today. He didn't intend to, he just asked a question. He's been asking me many deep questions this summer, about mortality, what "obscenity" means, what are blood transfusions, and why people have a mid-life crisis, among others. I started preparing for such question before his birth, and I like to think I've done an adequate job answering them. He stumped me today, though.

We went for a hike at Sharon Woods MetroPark. When we stopped to use the restroom, the boy asked me why someone would do a # 2 in the urinal. I had nothing.

Can anyone help an old dad out?