Your turn at the Soapbox

Sometimes I say things and regret that I have said them. I guess that the buffer that usually exists between brain and mouth is malformed in my physiology. I suppose that is the danger of talking politics, especially the way that I do it. I specialize in parody and sarcasm. And, too often, parody can be mistaken for hatred or vitriol. Simply reading someone else's thoughts (like on a blog) it is hard to sense where the sarcasm is and where the true belligerence is. It's easier when I draw cartoons because no one takes me seriously, but people still choose to get angry.

In a round about way, I am sorry if I have hurt anyone by what have said here. The original intent of this site was for us to have a place where we can share our thoughts, however disparate and undefinable they may be. Hopefully understanding one another better, and perhaps becoming more open-minded to each others positions. In the process, I think we are able to maintain the relationships I so value but sometimes unabashed fraternity comes through.

Just as when we have the rare opportunity to actually see one another, we joke and tease, bringing up dirty laundry and calling each other names. While an exercise in immaturity, I consider it a harmless manifestation of our brotherhood. When I call my friends names, I do so in full parody mode (ie when James blew me away in Halo, I called him a jerk, didn’t mean it, but I said it anyway). I think you all know that I am probably the biggest long-haired emo-sissy on the planet, I am unabashed Death Cab for Cutie and Weezer fan, and love reading Ralph Nader and Michael Perenti (collective gasp). And have you seen my hair lately?

I do consider what we do to be different that Coulter in that she means it when she says ‘faggot.’ When I call you guys names I say it with no more hatred than familial teasing. I don’t know how that got lost, but I am sorry that it did.

But, there is one person in my family that my wife has forbidden me to speak about politics with because said person cannot leave personal feelings out of the conversation. I cannot have a political conversation with this person without them taking everything I say as a personal insult. They become belligerent and hold it against me for months. It’s a loss, because I think we could find a lot more in common if we just talked more. I hope that won’t happen with us.

I think that we in this country must be able to openly disagree and too often we aren’t willing to do so. As I have said here before I think most people don't fall into the two categories 'liberal' or 'conservative, and I surely don't. It seems that so many people are stuck behind their point of view and unwilling to talk. In a politically disparate time, people stand behind their party stances and lob canned attacks at each other. But at least here, we are talking, and having a good time at it. I get to hear things from James that are FAR from my thinking. I have to try to understand it, and think of what it means to me. Maybe he will make me vote for Mitt in ‘08 (don’t count on it, I just haven’t made my mind up yet!) and I don’t know of anyone else with whom I could have such open political conversation, blatant disagreement even, and still love you guys to death.

If there is name calling, which, there has only been one instance of, it is not a political attack. It’s teasing, and I'm sorry if it was hurtful.