I did not participate in the more popular April 1st flash your stash day even though I've been methodically trying to take photographs of my stash on my own. Want to know why? Simple. I find a good portion of the political articles posted at the main part of that website to be offensive, reactionary, and extremely small-minded and I didn't want to have anything to do with her, in any capacity, at all. Ever.
Not to say I have any fault with anyone who chose to participate in it. Not at all. I just couldn't and I don't feel particularly proud of my reasons either, believe me.
It's not like she gives two shits about or even knows who I am. And I know how stupid and petty it is and I've had that offensive saying "cutting off your nose to spite your face" (I wonder if that person has known anyone who has had their nose cut off, I have, and I doubt it would be thrown around so easily if they had) thrown at me before when I mentioned how small I felt for not wanting to even knit one of the little green zibibballs' patterns because I would feel dislike and general unhappiness with every stitch. Yeah, I dislike and disagree with her views that much. Call me petty or simple. But the personal is the political to me and I just cannot overlook some of the horrid things I've seen this woman write enough to enjoy the patterns or non-political web bandwagon ideas she's created.
I know that to a certain extent I suck for that. But I also know myself enough to know that that one little aspect of her life about which she feels soooo strongly would wiggle its way into my mind while I was working on her patterns or uploading her little graphics. I'm sure if she ever made it over to this site or had any reason to find interest in my site she'd probably feel the same way. And as far as I'm concerned I'm on medication to avoid depression. I don't drink because it's a depressant. Why the fuck would I bother participating in something with someone whose worldview would potentially depress me?
Now I'm the first person to say "Your blog, your rules," but I reserve the right to follow that with "My browser, my back button." I know myself enough to know that the few times I've tried to be kind or fair or even just honest to someone who is primarily an ideological polar opposite has never worked out. Never. It's best for me to just stay away and do my own thing. Surround myself with people who reinforce my happy little fluffy worldview in the same way El Busho has surrounded himself, keep my head down, and every once in a while say something when I think I should but not expect the moh-rons to understand.
There's this pledge thing from my hometown that I ran across last week. The city where I grew up has played a major part in civil rights in the US - good and bad. The bad parts were broadcast on the television all over the world for everyone to see and made people realize just how serious the situation in the US was. The good changes that came out of were primarily because of those broadcasts. It was forced to look at itself and change. Not very many cities have a giant mirror held up to itself in the way Birmingham did. And there are still a lot of changes that need to be made. But this is an interesting recent campaign that I've actually been trying to follow before I knew about it.
I believe that every person is entitled to dignity and respect, regardless of race or color.
I believe that every thought and every act of racial prejudice is harmful; if it is my thought or act, then it is harmful to me as well as to others.
Therefore, from this day forward I will strive daily to eliminate racial prejudice from my thoughts and actions.
I will discourage racial prejudice by others at every opportunity.
I will treat all people with dignity and respect; and I will strive daily to honor this pledge, knowing that the world will be a better place because of my effort
I think that this pledge should also include religious, ethnic background, sexual preference, and body-type. In my mind it does.
I've been trying to do that anyway. When my father-in-law makes offensive jokes about hispanics "but they're just jokes he doesn't really mean it blah blah," I say things like "I know you're joking but I'd be worried that I'd get in the habit of saying things like that. That I'd forget and say it to someone who didn't think I was joking and really find it hurtful." And he seems to get it. I think.
I was watching Gentleman's Agreement last year. The movie where Gregory Peck pretends to be a Jewish man in 1940s New York for a newspaper article. The really interesting thing that comes across, to me anyway, is that the people who allow others to make antisemitic jokes, the people who are silently embarassed and feel superior to the joke-makers, are just as guilty as the joker, if not moreso because they know better. And I have very serious views on racial, religious, ethnic, sexual preference, and body-type prejudices. Very serious. So, Gods help me, I actually feel like I should say something sometimes.
Unfortunately this comes off sometimes like I'm playing "World Cop" or a humorless liberal ass and I know my husband and my best friend have both commented that someday I'm going to get beaten up for saying it to the wrong person. This may or may not have an effect on my social phobias I don't know. It may be just because I hermit up in the house and get out of practice. But I've gotten much better at choosing my battles as I've gotten older. And I may be tooting my own horn here but my battlefights have gotten much better, meaner, and more subtle as I've gotten older as well.
Still, somewhere in there I just feel like if I let these people get away with saying something like that I'm more guilty than they are. So for the most part my solution is to just stick with people who don't say shit like that, and people who are intelligent and secure enough in their own beliefs to listen to someone else's opinion, even if they might not agree with it. And for the most part I'm lucky enough to be doing just that these days. *huggles*
So, um, with that said, I'll take photos of the noro today. Promisepromisepromise. As soon as I go on this forced dogwalking business. Cody's making me walk the dog in the mornings when he gets home from work. Isn't he mean?
You fucking rock. You know that right?
xoxo
Posted by: Scout at April 2, 2006 7:21 AM
I love this post. You do rock!!! I have had such a similar perspective... and can not and WILL NOT support people with a limited , narrow, perspective in life. If I would not be able to stay in the same room with them in person... I don't read their blog. Period.
Posted by: Mama-E at April 2, 2006 7:53 AM
Girl, don't ever get off your soapbox! Yes, Cody is right-go walk the dog.
Posted by: Ramona at April 2, 2006 9:44 AM
I like when you speak what's on your mind--it helps me to clarify my thoughts on the same things, so thank you, please keep at it.
I MISS my daily dog walks. I was so much healthier when Maddie was here. I went to bed early (she'd give me a tired look and lope off on her own. I'd feel guilty that she'd have to fall asleep alone, wouldn't want to wake her up, so I'd go to bed at 11, too), got up early (heaven forbid I roll over and not start getting ready for our morning walk), and I exercised more. Wish I lived closer, I'd walk with you and Winter, too! Doggie love.
Posted by: Beverly at April 2, 2006 10:14 AM
You do rock. (But you know I think that).
And I've stolen Bev's meme via your last post.
Posted by: Jocelyn at April 2, 2006 9:47 PM
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