WWBMD?

The day after Obama was elected, The Robeau and I were sitting around watching CNN when this unintentional comedy appeared on screen.


That evening I posted the picture on Facebook under the heading "November 5th 2008 - Look! Jim took the best picture EVER!" because I thought, and I still do, that the juxtaposition is HI-Larious. Also, I have a great number of Facebook friends who share my ideals and point of view. Many of them are comedians (or just as funny as the comedians) and I knew they would dig it as well. That's what I'm all about folks, sharing the snark. Never let it be said that I saw something mean and/or funny and didn't share it with my nearest and dearest via the internets. Let that be my legacy.

Among the comments:

- Trickle down fans? They also love shoulder pads, Dynasty, and think "Say Say Say" by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson is the best work by either artist.

- Love it!

- I'm so glad that so many people were positive about Obama's win yesterday because believe it or not SOME people wrote very cynical status updates yesterday. Shocking.

- lol!

- wicked

- ahahah!

Needless to say, I felt pretty good about sharing this little moment with my pals. Hell, I felt pretty good about everything - it was November 5, 2008.

Then I found a note in my inbox from a girl I knew in high school. We haven't seen one and other in at least fifteen years. We didn't have a ton in common in school, save working together on the school newspaper.

Hey Tracey! Hope you are doing well! I can definitely see from your page that you are JUMPING in the music and jazz scene! Holy cow!

However, I did want to comment on one thing about that photo you posted taken by your partner (I'm presuming Jim's your partner). I personally am glad that Obama won, and I'm an evangelical Christian. Palin freaked me out, and saddened me a lot to think that she got lumped in with me (that being said, I don't hate her, and I think she's a bit misguided, and I really hope she readjusts her vision one day). I think it's a bit unfair to be gleefully saying that I'm a loser, when I don't think I am, at all, really, that's all.

Just wanted to say that generalized stereotypes are really sad, and don't help people actually work together, especially when they go in both directions, that's all. Just some food for thought.
Otherwise I hope you are well! :)

I felt bad when I first read it because I was gleefully calling her a loser. I was. And that is not nice. And some of what she said was lovely, to be honest. But I also took objection to the way her note was put together. Don't give me the old soft-sell, Church Lady, I've read your blog! I don't buy this "we're the same but different" crap. I wanted to quote Dawkins and Hitchens to her. I wanted to rail against the history of ignorance and hate perpetrated by organized religion. I wanted to throw examples in her face. The Pope(s) and AIDS in Africa. Flying airplanes into buildings. Those really, really uncomfortable things they make you kneel on. But in the end I just ignored it. Maybe I thought that by taking an extreme argument I'd be no better than an evangelical. Or maybe I just wasn't up for the fight.

Anyway, cut to almost six months later when we rented Religulous the other night. It was smart and funny but mostly it was Bill Maher preaching to the converted. Until the end of the film, where Maher gives us a veritable call to arms. It's the only way to describe it, a call to arms.



Watch that and tell me you don't suddenly want to stand up and talk sense to people. It sure made me want to speak up and be heard. Time will tell if I've got the guts or not.