evolutionary process

i post this as an outlet for my utter disgust over the passing of proposition 8 in the lovely state of California. for those who do not know, this successful passing of this proposition means the overturning of California's previous lifting of the ban on same-sex marriage. for those uninterested, good day.

for the rest, here are some quotes from Margaret Cho's I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight which, i believe, beautifully articulate her (and, incidentally, my own) stance on same-sex marriage:

----"if we are not absolutely insistent, unflinching, strident about lifting the ban on same-sex marriage, then we might as well forfeit the Constitution, cross out all the Amendments, knock down the Statue of Liberty (it was a gift from France anyway - those peace lovers: who needs 'em?), reverse Roe v. Wade, pretende Stonewall never happened, reinstate Prohibition, deny women the vote, derail the Underground Railroad, bring back slavery, retrieve all the tea bags from Boston Harbor (actually, let them steep - gay marriage is still legal in Massachusetts, for now), give Patrick Henry death instead of liberty (he's fucking dead now, anyway), get back on the Mayflower and go back to England. the only problem would be, trying to bring the Native Americans back to life and restore their nations that we so cavalierly destroyed in our own pursuit of religious 'freedom.'
without the reality of same-sex marriage, there is no freedom. this is not an argument about homosexuality, or God, or what is in the bible, or what your moral value system is or what you feel is ethical. it is a no-argument zone. no spins here, not in the least. it is about upholding the idea that America is the representation of freedom in the world. that to be an American is to be free. unless we have same-sex marriage recognized and legalized by every state, then we are not free. we are hypocrites, for we are according freedoms to a certain group in our population while denying those same rights to others. it is discrimination, and that is that."

----"why do i work intensely for the queer community -- protest, demonstrate, enduring being called a hypocrite, not give a shit and keep going like the Engergizer Bunny?Because love is love. Love is love. Love is love. Love is love. Mother-fucker."

----"i have paintings in my bedroom, painted by a man i love more than anyone, a gay man, who depicted the death, the unfathomable loss, the cost of AIDS, and homophobia and hatred, the most expensive cruelty, the debt that will never be repaid, the pain stretched out on canvas for all to see, the unbelievable tragedy he endured during the '70s and '80s that he couldnt'even talk about, he could only paint it, because if you put words to it, that beat will fuck you up, and you will never dance again. i sleep underneath these works of art, beautiful not only because they are true, they are also born from grief that radiates fresh and hard from them even a quarter of a century later. they are the first things i see when i wake, the last thing i see before i got to sleep. i will never forget what unjust acts i witnessed as a child, against men and women who chose to be themselves. who chose to love. who loved. who fucking loved. their blood remains indelible, and even though it is not my own fucking personal blood i still feel the pain of the cut. and it hurts. nobody will know how much it hurts me. a lot. that is all i can say."



in the recent presidential election, my vote went to the platform which, among other things, supported equality in terms of those engaging in civil unions. of course, this was not the sole deciding factor, it was one of those in the forefront of my mind through my deliberations. and, while civil unions are not marriages, the platform i supported attested to ensure all the same rights which married people are entitled were to be also granted to those having civil unions. baby steps. i fervently believe this is a small step in the way of wading in the waters of freedom - the freedom of which our forefathers wrote and dreamed in saying "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." separate but equal hasn't worked before, and it won't work now, especially when separates =/= equal. despite opposing moral convictions and religious affiliations, we are a nation. thus, we should act like one. one unit. comprised of many. thus, no single doctrine borne of a particular background can rightly govern those who take refuge underneath the communal flag. no one religion has the right, in a country founded by those who sought to indulge in religious freedom, to usurp all convictions of self-evident civil liberties. you live here, you check your nooses and pitchforks on the shore. you can be who you are, as long as who you are isn't persecutor of those who are not you. as Margaret Cho says, this is not a religious or moral issue. it is a fact.
you can't show up to a party that advocates freedom for all/all men are created equal and instate a moral dress code for everyone to get you voted most popular. that's when we go Carrie on you and slaughter you in the wake of your own false kingdom.
just saying. take that how you will.

note, in the previous paragraph, i continued to say "platform" when speaking of where went my vote. i didn't say "candidate." i didn't say "party." parties and candidates are figureheads. or, to get communication class on you, heuristic cues - shortcuts, if you will, which allow one to "[react] automatically to a usually informative trigger feature... [which] preserves crucial time, energy, and mental capacity" (Robert. B Cialdiani, Influence: Science and Practice, 17). we use terms like "Democrat" and "Republican" to reduce the time and energy we'd expend describing the stereotyped positions most people adhering to those titles generally hold. what i consider myself is irrelevant. as is the person at the forefront of the platform i support. if you're truly interested, do as i and look into the platforms behind the candidates.
anywho, i did this not to hide my beliefs and vote; i'll gladly discuss them with anyone curious enough to ask. however, i wanted to specifically serve as a sharp foil to those who are bandwagon jumpers. whether it's race, political affiliation, or whathaveyou. if one trigger decided your vote - if you voted to keep a black man out of office or put one in; if you voted republican/democratic because your family does or doesn't; if you voted for anything as petty as that, i almost want to tell you never to vote again. unless you'll change your ways, or your vote helps elect the candiate with the plan which ultimately betters this nation, don't play with the state of the nation like that. it's irresponsible. really.

one of the biggest problems today is not thinking enough or at all. Alfred North Whitehead once said, "Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them." i believe that's true. the so-called "developed nations" are the ones with the biggest rulebooks and shiniest toys. virtually independent areas thriving under their own civil authority governed by what's right, who secure enough food for themselves and their livestock each day, who bleed blood and not money, and who entertain themselves with each other and not things are seen as primitives. we call their lack of name brand clothing sad and blame it on their being impoverished. when really, they just wear enough to keep warm and cover themselves because think more practically and less lavishly. how many people know how to repair an engine these days? how many just take it to a shop when something goes awry and get a rental car until the old's working fine again? we have warning lights in our cars which tell us when to take it to get serviced. we've developed online systems to help us get rental cars faster, but don't use the internet to figure out how to take care of our own cars.

let's get off the heuristic cues and start taking the central processing route sometimes. who knows where we'll end up. better than sitting in the backseat constantly inquiring "are we there, yet?" or even "where are we going?" stop thinking none or thinking too big. think little; think practical. think real.
but don't stop there! act! that goes for everything. start small to build up your drive. learn how to take care of something yourself. then build up. research and get involved in politics. we're not all going to be political leaders, but, as we've seen with the petition for Proposition 8 and the passing of it, concerned citizens getting involved can make just as much a difference as a figurehead in the White House. a presidential election is not a magic wand which will grant its wielder anything his or her heart desires. we've a system of checks and balances. and while the scales may seem to tip in a certain direction here or there, the president still has to pass things through the legislative branch. and, some things, won't be federally decided. if you look up what a candidate's platform is, you can see some issues will be left up to states to determine. there's still power with the people. use it.

yeah, voting's one thing. regardless if "your candidate" was elected, fight for what you believe. ever been to a rally? ever signed a petition? ever organized a group for discussion? for speaking to/with others to share your thoughts and garner support? ever write your congressmen? if you've done none of those things, you're sitting in the backseat annoying those at the wheel. voting's a start, but it's not enough. put up or shut up. and don't be discouraged. as one of my favorite quotes heralds, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)


one-two, my friends.