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I've been meaning to write this post for months, but never quite known where to start, so of course now here I am right up against it, with no choice but to blunder in. Please forgive the lack of any sort of coherence ... a stew may not be so palatable as a plated meal, but I hope at least it's as nutritious.
As every commentator under the sun has been saying for months now, this election has been full of surprises. The main surprise generally seems to be that Donald Trump, with his divisive, unapologetic, dare I say flamboyant rhetoric can have sustained the popularity he has done, when common wisdom has it that such talk should alienate the vast majority of calm, sensible people in the centre, who one has to win over to get a majority of the vote.
Frankly, what has surprised me is that this has come as a surprise to so many people.
I spent my teenage years in suburban Utah, surrounded by a conservative Republican society, in a house where right-wing talk radio and pundit TV were a constant presence. It was not the most benign place to come of age, but this year I have come to see beyond the damage of that experience and recognise that it was, in a way, a privilege to get a glimpse over the hedge. Thanks to that environment I understand (or at least feel like I understand) what is going on in the news, when people who didn't grow up with it are shocked and confused. For what it's worth, I'd like to share my perspective with you. It is by no means comprehensive or well-informed, but I hope that maybe by seeing it through my eyes, some of the pieces will fall into place.
( This has been a long time coming. )
( The lesser of two weevils )
( And the painted ponies go up and down... ) You might not have known they were there, or what they thought, or why they thought it, but that doesn't mean they didn't exist. Now you know. The US is going to have to take a long, hard look in the mirror after this election, and it may not like what it sees there, but at least it will finally be forced to see both sides of its face. What it does with that knowledge is anyone's guess, but if there's any silver lining to the smoke cloud billowing from this Hindenburg, it's that breaking out of denial is the only way to move forward. Maybe. If that's what you want to do. I don't know, I'm going to bed.
( Important Notes on the Bible verses )
As every commentator under the sun has been saying for months now, this election has been full of surprises. The main surprise generally seems to be that Donald Trump, with his divisive, unapologetic, dare I say flamboyant rhetoric can have sustained the popularity he has done, when common wisdom has it that such talk should alienate the vast majority of calm, sensible people in the centre, who one has to win over to get a majority of the vote.
Frankly, what has surprised me is that this has come as a surprise to so many people.
I spent my teenage years in suburban Utah, surrounded by a conservative Republican society, in a house where right-wing talk radio and pundit TV were a constant presence. It was not the most benign place to come of age, but this year I have come to see beyond the damage of that experience and recognise that it was, in a way, a privilege to get a glimpse over the hedge. Thanks to that environment I understand (or at least feel like I understand) what is going on in the news, when people who didn't grow up with it are shocked and confused. For what it's worth, I'd like to share my perspective with you. It is by no means comprehensive or well-informed, but I hope that maybe by seeing it through my eyes, some of the pieces will fall into place.
( This has been a long time coming. )
( The lesser of two weevils )
( And the painted ponies go up and down... ) You might not have known they were there, or what they thought, or why they thought it, but that doesn't mean they didn't exist. Now you know. The US is going to have to take a long, hard look in the mirror after this election, and it may not like what it sees there, but at least it will finally be forced to see both sides of its face. What it does with that knowledge is anyone's guess, but if there's any silver lining to the smoke cloud billowing from this Hindenburg, it's that breaking out of denial is the only way to move forward. Maybe. If that's what you want to do. I don't know, I'm going to bed.
( Important Notes on the Bible verses )
