OH NO AM I REALLY WRITING ABOUT THIS?
I hate politics. I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate politics. I am Apolitical. I vote as an Independent. Just wanna say that up front. I hate politics for a million reasons.
What I do love is freedom. Freedom to say what I think. Freedom of religion. Freedom to think what I want. Freedom to wear what i want. Freedom to laugh at inappropriate things and then feel guilty about it later. I mean, isn't that what America is all about?
So when I read about the rodeo clown fiasco this morning, I really had to think about what this means not only to our freedom of speech, but to our freedom of mind. Let's think about this. *frowns in thought, which puts more wrinkles in already wrinkled brow, which is why I don't do this too often*
What makes America work is our different points of view and our tolerance of those POVs. Just because I think a certain way doesn't mean you should think the same way. If I get mad at you because you don't think exactly the way I think, not only am I pretty narrow-minded, but I'm also pretty much in favor of mind control. And BTW that would also mean I''m not in favor of Freedom of speech if I want to deny you your right to say what you think, and express it in whatever way works for you. (If it doesn't break the law) What makes America work and what makes each of us unique is our different point of view. We have a right to that point of view. That's why we're America.
On the other hand, if our point of view is being manipulated by someone else, or some someone elsez, then that doesn't make us unique, that just makes us, well, naive. Which is weird to me. We are so smart about so many things, and so dumb about others. Why is it we don't realize when political parties and others are implanting "correct thinking" into our brains? I'm talking about both sides here. And they don't even need a computer chip. All they need to do is hit the right buttons in our psyches and we're like little robots.
Are you in favor of saving the earth? Hit the We're Going To Be Left Without Any Resources button. Are you a Christian Conservative? Hit the They're Going To Take Away Our Freedom of Religion button. Whatever your button might be, I guarantee they know what it is. All of our buttons are highly charged emotionally and politicians have been hitting them since Patrick Henry said, "Give me Liberty or Give me Death!" Emotion drives politics.
And maybe it should. We SHOULD feel passionately about the issues we support. What we've got to be sure of is that our passion is of our own making; that it is our passion and not someone else's manufactured passion.
So back to the clowns. (And you can take that however you want.) ; )
Parody has been said to be a sincere form of flattery. I kind of doubt that. Parody is a way to make fun of something and get away with it. Was making fun of the president in a bullring a mean and crummy thing to do? Well, yeah. That's what parodies are all about. Has it been done a hundred times in a hundred different ways to a bunch of presidents? Well . . . yeah. So I don't get the uproar. Like I said, it's kind of weird to me. Maybe you get it. That's okay. That's your POV.
But please, don't let someone put a chip in your head. Even an invisible one. And don't let someone push your button without your knowledge. Think your thoughts. Have your say. Let others speak and do ridiculous things to express their point of view. We're strong enough to take it. We're America. Right?
BTW, the Weird sign in the picture is mine and for sale. I figure by now everyone knows how weird I am, so why advertise? ; ) Stay cool.
What I do love is freedom. Freedom to say what I think. Freedom of religion. Freedom to think what I want. Freedom to wear what i want. Freedom to laugh at inappropriate things and then feel guilty about it later. I mean, isn't that what America is all about?
So when I read about the rodeo clown fiasco this morning, I really had to think about what this means not only to our freedom of speech, but to our freedom of mind. Let's think about this. *frowns in thought, which puts more wrinkles in already wrinkled brow, which is why I don't do this too often*
What makes America work is our different points of view and our tolerance of those POVs. Just because I think a certain way doesn't mean you should think the same way. If I get mad at you because you don't think exactly the way I think, not only am I pretty narrow-minded, but I'm also pretty much in favor of mind control. And BTW that would also mean I''m not in favor of Freedom of speech if I want to deny you your right to say what you think, and express it in whatever way works for you. (If it doesn't break the law) What makes America work and what makes each of us unique is our different point of view. We have a right to that point of view. That's why we're America.
On the other hand, if our point of view is being manipulated by someone else, or some someone elsez, then that doesn't make us unique, that just makes us, well, naive. Which is weird to me. We are so smart about so many things, and so dumb about others. Why is it we don't realize when political parties and others are implanting "correct thinking" into our brains? I'm talking about both sides here. And they don't even need a computer chip. All they need to do is hit the right buttons in our psyches and we're like little robots.
Are you in favor of saving the earth? Hit the We're Going To Be Left Without Any Resources button. Are you a Christian Conservative? Hit the They're Going To Take Away Our Freedom of Religion button. Whatever your button might be, I guarantee they know what it is. All of our buttons are highly charged emotionally and politicians have been hitting them since Patrick Henry said, "Give me Liberty or Give me Death!" Emotion drives politics.
And maybe it should. We SHOULD feel passionately about the issues we support. What we've got to be sure of is that our passion is of our own making; that it is our passion and not someone else's manufactured passion.
So back to the clowns. (And you can take that however you want.) ; )
Parody has been said to be a sincere form of flattery. I kind of doubt that. Parody is a way to make fun of something and get away with it. Was making fun of the president in a bullring a mean and crummy thing to do? Well, yeah. That's what parodies are all about. Has it been done a hundred times in a hundred different ways to a bunch of presidents? Well . . . yeah. So I don't get the uproar. Like I said, it's kind of weird to me. Maybe you get it. That's okay. That's your POV.
But please, don't let someone put a chip in your head. Even an invisible one. And don't let someone push your button without your knowledge. Think your thoughts. Have your say. Let others speak and do ridiculous things to express their point of view. We're strong enough to take it. We're America. Right?
BTW, the Weird sign in the picture is mine and for sale. I figure by now everyone knows how weird I am, so why advertise? ; ) Stay cool.