(no subject)
Nov. 4th, 2004 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taratemimaSo Bush voters in those Red States:
Should we learn to emphasize and know the difference between explaining and condescending?
Or have we been nice to them enough already?
Or is there another way?
I'm been thinking about this. In truth, there are more 'purple' counties than 'red' counties, in both 'red' and 'blue' states.
The people are various shades of Left (not Left, really, for lack of a better word, 'blue,' from conservatives who really think another Bush term will do more damage to conservative values than Kerry to wild-eyed socialists) in the Red states, they're going to need to talk to their friends and family in the next four years. It could be dueling Bible verses, getting primary sources (governmental websites and censuses, interviews, personal testimony, even a couple contrary essays in conservative rags) to get over the 'it's in the librul meeeeeedia' [in truth, it flirts with a 'be nice to everyone' view while mixing it with 'money! get money! keep money! taxes suck!' drumbeat] block, a mix of Socratic 'What makes you say that?' and active listening, and sometimes, the delicate art of arguing your point forcefully when the other guy screams and call you names.
Those of us in the Blue states, we need to feed them information, fact and spreading the idea that a faith in something is not mutually exclusive with examining reality. We can afford to be strident. The people who speak loudest for Bush are jerks. Big fucking jerks. Strident for the Blues in Red means your mom isn't talking to you anymore. But they will need information and support. To quote a Kerry volunteer angry about the drumbeat about 'reaching to the heartland':
To me, the heartland of this country is anywhere that people work their asses off to make their lives better for their families. They stay true to their better angels no matter how miserable things get or how much easier it would be to succumb to hate and irrational fear. They read, and listen, and look for the truth and stay informed about what's really going on, no matter how grim the news. They don't live in Fox News cocoons, they don't blast Rush Limbaugh from their pickups, and they don't vote blindly for the guys whose prejudices most neatly line up with their own. Their concerns are genuine, their values are consistent, their principles are rock-solid, and their hearts are true.
Someone also said we need to work on the language of moral conviction, how to tell about the rightness of our ideas. I don't know. There are people who will listen, and the Blues in Red states will know who they are, and will know how to appeal to their desires for justice, equality, peace, safety, prosperity. More important, bring such high ideals to concrete ideas that will bring it about. Those of us in the Blue states can tell them when those ideals are trampled.
I snapped at the people in the same communities because I accidentally mistook them for Norquist, for DeLay, for Cheney and for Rumsdale. So to speak. OK. Sorry. You didn't deserve it. I'm still going to disagree with you. I still think Bush sucks. To the best of my ability, I'm going to spend the next four years writing about every stupid bill he pushes for, every lie and flip-flop he makes, and every, yes, I'll say it, values that makes this country, fuck it, humanity great that he desecrates.
Because some of the French didn't 'get over it' when Petain chose collaboration. Because none of the Republicans 'STFU' when Clinton went on to a second term.
I'm following their example.
Should we learn to emphasize and know the difference between explaining and condescending?
Or have we been nice to them enough already?
Or is there another way?
I'm been thinking about this. In truth, there are more 'purple' counties than 'red' counties, in both 'red' and 'blue' states.
The people are various shades of Left (not Left, really, for lack of a better word, 'blue,' from conservatives who really think another Bush term will do more damage to conservative values than Kerry to wild-eyed socialists) in the Red states, they're going to need to talk to their friends and family in the next four years. It could be dueling Bible verses, getting primary sources (governmental websites and censuses, interviews, personal testimony, even a couple contrary essays in conservative rags) to get over the 'it's in the librul meeeeeedia' [in truth, it flirts with a 'be nice to everyone' view while mixing it with 'money! get money! keep money! taxes suck!' drumbeat] block, a mix of Socratic 'What makes you say that?' and active listening, and sometimes, the delicate art of arguing your point forcefully when the other guy screams and call you names.
Those of us in the Blue states, we need to feed them information, fact and spreading the idea that a faith in something is not mutually exclusive with examining reality. We can afford to be strident. The people who speak loudest for Bush are jerks. Big fucking jerks. Strident for the Blues in Red means your mom isn't talking to you anymore. But they will need information and support. To quote a Kerry volunteer angry about the drumbeat about 'reaching to the heartland':
To me, the heartland of this country is anywhere that people work their asses off to make their lives better for their families. They stay true to their better angels no matter how miserable things get or how much easier it would be to succumb to hate and irrational fear. They read, and listen, and look for the truth and stay informed about what's really going on, no matter how grim the news. They don't live in Fox News cocoons, they don't blast Rush Limbaugh from their pickups, and they don't vote blindly for the guys whose prejudices most neatly line up with their own. Their concerns are genuine, their values are consistent, their principles are rock-solid, and their hearts are true.
Someone also said we need to work on the language of moral conviction, how to tell about the rightness of our ideas. I don't know. There are people who will listen, and the Blues in Red states will know who they are, and will know how to appeal to their desires for justice, equality, peace, safety, prosperity. More important, bring such high ideals to concrete ideas that will bring it about. Those of us in the Blue states can tell them when those ideals are trampled.
I snapped at the people in the same communities because I accidentally mistook them for Norquist, for DeLay, for Cheney and for Rumsdale. So to speak. OK. Sorry. You didn't deserve it. I'm still going to disagree with you. I still think Bush sucks. To the best of my ability, I'm going to spend the next four years writing about every stupid bill he pushes for, every lie and flip-flop he makes, and every, yes, I'll say it, values that makes this country, fuck it, humanity great that he desecrates.
Because some of the French didn't 'get over it' when Petain chose collaboration. Because none of the Republicans 'STFU' when Clinton went on to a second term.
I'm following their example.
