Political Junky Gone Wild
Boy oh boy, how about these elections? Raise your hand if you’re sick of politics. That was one out of every four readers. I know this because I’ve talked to all four of you in the past week. Take that social networking sites!
Since one of you is like me €“ sickopolitics- than it is my duty to support the underdog and convince the other three that they too should be sick.
This isn’t on my mind because of the ads or the articles or the Talk of the Day segments on NPR. It’s on my mind because I’ve been listening to the Dixie Chicks the last few days. Just think, if Natalie hadn’t spouted off a few years ago about our embarrassing excuse of a president they’d still be huge. Granted, maybe they are still huge. Just because I really like them doesn’t mean I’ve had time to keep on there fame ratings. I’m just saying I used to see them in EW and hear blurbs about them on the radio and what not, and though may radar signal is off kilter and ever weaker, I still think if they were doing big stuff I’d hear about them like I hear about Tim and Faith.
So if they’re as huge as ever never mind where I’m going with this.
But if they’re not then dig it. Great commercial country band puts out great commercial country albums, goes out great commercial international tour, makes comments about great commercial country government and gets pulled from great commercial radio stations with DJ’s that eat freedom fries. Sure it all happened years ago but that’s the part that gets me €“ still no recovery? That last album maybe wasn’t as great, and sure they got a little crazy with the eye makeup €“ but c’mon! They’re the Dixie Chicks! Put them in rotation for crying out loud.
Why the heck are we so defined by our politics? I don’t care what your political persuasion is, but stop putting all your hopes in multi-millionaire politicians that are telling you they care about the economy €“ now there’s someone who can identify with the working poor. Give me a break. We’ll get another president, he or she will be an improvement, he or she will not be Nader, but it doesn’t mean we can’t dream.
Today (and this will probably pass by morning) I could care less who the next president is. But I do care that as global citizens we stop putting all our effort into choosing a leader and start putting it into caring for our neighbors. And by neighbors I don’t mean the ‘other’ as lofty and theologically sound a term it might be. No, I mean our neighbors. The folks next door. Picking up trash off their lawn getting to know their kids and someday (we’re working towards this ourselves) sharing a meal. I think in a climate like this we would still listen to great bands make great music even if they do speak the truth. In fact in that climate I might even listen to ones that don’t, like Toby Keith. And me and T could be neighbors and I’d invite him over for lentils and brown rice. And he could bring a nice Jell-O salad. And I’d put on the Dixie Chicks and inevitably we’d start talking politics. And I would say, €œBush is a dumb ass, by his dumb ass hand we’ve ended up in a dumb ass war.€
Then TK would remark sarcastically, €œWould’ve been nice if Gore or Kerry could’ve outsmarted the dumb ass.€
And I’d reply, €œNader did, but unfortunately he couldn’t afford to be part of the free elections.€
Then TK would gracefully steer the conversation to more neighborly topics and ask for my curried lentil recipe. Because that’s the kind of neighbor Toby Keith is. And if I lived in a country like that I could care less who was president because there would be no he or she there would only be we.
We Rule!