It doesn’t take a genius to discern that, even though the election results are not official yet, there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth, not to mention rending of garments and beating of breasts, amongst those who voted for Kerry and those who despise the Bush administration.
But that’s absolutely the wrong attitude!
Yes, the results of this election seem overwhelmingly negative, with conservatives sweeping into office and anti-gay measures passing everywhere. But tough times call for courage, not despair. Suck it up, people.
Now is not the time to weep and bemoan the state of affairs in our country. Instead, it is all the more necessary that we adopt an attitude of tragic gaiety. We need to be brave. We need to laugh in the face of doom.
We need to look square into the face of what our country is becoming, and redouble our resolve to change it. And we need to be joyful, relishing the task ahead of us, or we’ll just burn out.
Remember, voting is a basic duty in an alleged democracy, but it is really the least of our duties, and one of the least effective ways to make real change, given the system we have. We are not going to vote our way out this mess.
Today is the International Peace Holiday, a good time to reflect on what we can do to make our world a better place. Locally, some people are gathering at Lee Circle from 3-6 p.m. for “public art, public expression, public dissent, public fellowship in a public space.”
Do whatever you need to do, but do it with celebratory anger. Show ’em a fist and a smile.
I’m down with the tragic, but damn your gaiety. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Those freaking exit polls got my hope up. I think I read somewhere that gaiety was unconstitutional in 11 more states. LA was first wasn’t it? By the way, it is now a constitutional right in Louisiana that we can all fish, hunt and trap. I went to the peace day website and it said I should try to resist buying things. THe problem is I’m severely depressed and buying something would make me feel better. Would you rather I get all liquered up and exercise my constitutional right to shoot nutria and trap beavers?
Funny… just as I begin the transition out of near-crippling depression to righteous, unyielding anger… I see B’s post.
I have the fist. But I don’t think the smiles, however forced, will stick.
bad mitten is angry
talk to the hand but it’s not listening
it’s actions speak for it
via digital comix
personally i nailed the coffin on the presidency two days ago but hoped–
just a battle not the war
they know we’ll stand up now
i’m still proud of that
that we got more than 50% to vote
sad victory
slow progress
I’m still really sad about this — I was holding out until the last minute, refusing to believe that Bush had won. I’m a little confused, because while I was at the expat bar watching CNN, the commentator said there were so many absentee ballots in Florida they didn’t think they would be able to count them all before Thursday, but then all of a sudden Florida went for Bush. Was the difference really so great?
On a more comforting note, here’s a comment from an e-mail Howard Dean sent to the Asian regional chairman of Democrats Abroad:
>And a record number of us voted to change course — more Americans voted against
>George Bush than any sitting president in history.
I guess that’s something to be glad about, anyway.