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A political confusion (but, why Rob? – election day is over!)
confusedOK – I don't post often. Not anything. You'd think that as an artist, I'd be posting about what I'm working on, or other artists I enjoy or whatever. But no, these things may drive me to images, but rarely ever written words.
Today, what drives me to the keyboard, at 4:30 in the morning is what's keeping me from sleeping – I've been wandering around for hours trying to come up with a justification but alas, to no avail.
The country just got done raising its voice in the spirit of hope over fear – the potential for change instead of accepting the "evil we already know". I've never felt before in my lifetime that my vote wasn't being cast for the lesser of two evils until this month. It was a celebration! And from what I've read in the news since then, it seems like the leaders of the world are breathing a collective sigh of relief right now.
The people of California are no exception to this. In record numbers they came out to show their willingness to be open-minded and embrace change. President Obama was declared the winner of California early on, with a very low percentage of the vote in – it was that clear that they supported change and hope.
I've been to California quite a few times in recent years. A large percentage of my wife's family lives there, and they're great people. Work has brought me to southern California a few times lately, and I've found the people I've met there to be for the most part friendly, charismatic and open-minded. My wife and I have actually had discussions about how the media has given the people of southern California an unfair stereotype. To be sure, there is an abundance of beautiful-looking people there, but unlike their portrayals, there seems to be a collective understanding that they have a responsibility to be more than just outwardly beautiful. So many of the Californians I've spoken to have been wise, clear-thinking, informed and open-mined people, that I started to believe that it was somehow a product of their lifestyle.
So, with all that taken into account, I can't figure out how Proposition 8 was passed, on the very same ballot that Barack Obama was voted into the presidency. Was it worded unclearly? Did people think they were voting one way when it was actually the other? I've seen things like that happen before, and it seems to me the only possibility I could come up with this evening that made sense.
Now – to make this clear, I am not in any way that I'm aware of directly affected by Proposition 8. I am not gay - I'm happily married to a member of the opposite sex. I am not aware of any of my immediate family or friends that are gay and in a committed relationship that is threatened by this bill. (note I say "not aware." It's entirely possible that I have gay friends who have chosen to keep that part of their lives private. I really don't know, and respect their choice to keep it a personal matter) I do have a few friends that are openly gay or bisexual, but for the most part they haven't voiced a concern directly to me about this situation.
I have spent the past day hearing about this bill, though, and try as I might, I can't think of the "Good" reason to choose it. It is the first time I've ever seen such a large group of people come together in the spirit of hurting their neighbors. That's just the only way it makes sense to me so far. I equate it, for example, to a law saying that blue-eyed people can no longer vote. OK, maybe that's a little extreme. After all, blue-eyed people have always been able to vote. So, how about women. What if they passed a law saying women could no longer vote. There was a time that they couldn't, so it works out the same. Right?
There will probably be people who read this and say "But it goes against our beliefs. Our religion!" OK, then in that case… there are millions, maybe billions of people in the world who believe it's a sin to eat beef. Heck, just considering a cow "beef" is an abomination to these folks. So, do we pass a law saying no more hamburgers for anyone? Never again may we eat a steak. It seems ridiculous, doesn't it? Why? Because it doesn't match "our" beliefs? I bet there are a lot of folks in California that are vegetarian because they believe "Meat is Murder" (everywhere we went in California, there are vegetarian choices on menus – more than anywhere else I've ever been.) So, why hasn't that bill been brought up for a vote? It would actually be a lot less hurtful to tell people "you can't eat something that may be bad for your cardiovascular system anymore" than "You can't be happily recognized as a union with the person you love anymore." My imagination just went crazy when I heard this, and I visualized what it would be like if, a few months after I was married, someone came up to me and said "Your wife was born in another country, so you aren't really married to her anymore. Didn't you hear? – the law was passed yesterday." I'd be furious. No, I'd fleetingly contemplate revenge. OK – maybe not fleetingly.
If we don't see a mass uprising of gay riots in the next few days, it will be a huge testament to the strength of their character. Clearly, they have earned the right - according to the bible, which I suspect has a lot to do with this travesty, an eye for an eye gives them a lot of options here. This was an attack against them. A clear message was sent that they are thought of as fodder for bullies. I sincerely hope that violence doesn't result from this, but it truly would surprise me if the homosexual population of California just turned the other cheek here. I think they've been doing that for too long now, and a boiling point may be reached very soon.
So, I leave this open as an invitation. I want to be disagreed with. I want someone to explain to me why they voted for Proposition 8, or why they would have voted for it if they lived in California. I won't argue with anyone who responds, and I will try to listen with an open mind. No one will receive an email or reply from me saying, "But how could you be like that?" But I have a rule: In your response you may not use any of the following words:
God, Jesus, Christ, Bible, Church, Christian, Religion, Lord, Heaven, Hell, Saint, Sin (or any variant – i.e., Sinner), Belief, Priest, Pastor, Preacher, Sacrament, Sacred, Holy, Divine, Gospel, Testament (New or Old), Scripture or any words that are direct synonyms of those presented in a religious sense.
If you must fall upon these crutches to explain your viewpoint, your response will be deleted out-of-hand, and I will silently extend my wish to you for a more open-minded and hateless future. We live in the USA - we are supposed to have the right to live by the beliefs that each of us choose individually.
If you have an opinion, or understand something I'm missing, please feel free to share it.
Rob
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