there will be time to talk about the new president (or how i’m already going through sarah palin withdrawal. or the inexplicable, almost maternal feeling of tenderness i felt towards john mccain–to hug him and say, “just let it out, cry it out”. or about the potential aftermath of this new administration, and what it might mean for us Filipinos. or the snapshots of division i witnessed hours after the results were in: four African Americans beating up a white quintessential dc douche on M street, the sole white woman at the back of the bus with her pearls and her mccain button, sniffing huffily every time people would spontaneously burst into exclamations of joy– “obama. BARRRACCCCK OH-BAMA. I could say that name forever”, this one guy kept on repeating. ).
right now, though? to be honest: all i am present to is how conflicted i am particularly on the predicted outcome of Prop 8. i believe that the idea of saying yes to rescinding an existing right such as marriage (a right which should be available to all citizens) is intolerant and bigoted and quite simply, wrong. so wow. yes to change, america.
while i am sure there are (or will be) more scholarly articles regarding this issue on say, the new york times or the post or the wall st. journal, this gawker article (forwarded to me by my dearest ryan) just lays it out in a funny-sad way, full of resignation and anger & maybe some hope, if you read between the lines and it basically mirrors the way i see things, the morning after.
UPDATE:
K. Olbermann has this to say:
Because this isn’t about yelling, and this isn’t about politics. This is about the human heart, and if that sounds corny, so be it.
If you voted for this Proposition or support those who did or the sentiment they expressed, I have some questions, because, truly, I do not understand. Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don’t want to deny you yours. They don’t want to take anything away from you. They want what you want—a chance to be a little less alone in the world.
Click to read the full article here.
3 responses so far ↓
ramon // Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 2:28 pm |
most of my political knowledge is media-based, so it was in “with honors” that i remember the genius of the constitution is it can be changed. so i don’t think it’s wrong, necessarily, to rescind existing rights (one of which used to be ownership of other people, didn’t it?). but that’s why changes to the constitution need to be carefully guarded and considered, and people need to express their opinion.
i take it from your post that the predicted outcome is bleak? that’s sad. especially coming from california, of all “conservative” (*scoff*) places.
Angelo // Thursday, November 6, 2008 at 7:27 am |
You know how it is, two steps forward, one step back.
Sigh.
Colleen // Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 11:25 am |
I have no problem with the process of amending the Constitution. It must remain relevant and all citizens in a democracy have a responsibility to be a part of the process of formulating the laws that govern them, however, to compare Proposition 8 to the abolition of slavery is like comparing apples and oranges. Or apples and ampalayas, if you will. As far as I know, the Constitution is supposed to SAFEGUARD human rights, not revoke them. I think you would be hard-pressed to find a person who would say that marriage was not a basic human right.
I’m just stumped by it all: Californians voted to support Proposition 2 which was proposed to protect farm animals from abuse but they won’t protect gay citizens from discrimination? Hey7, I’m all for the humane treatment of animals, but what about the humane treatment of humans?