politics are weird

[schmerica]

My friends list reaction to the DNC is freaking me a little. I mean, not you people yourself, more -- apparently there are still kneejerk reactions I didn't even know I had, which disturbs me.

The thing is, you know, I grew up in a household that spoke about Democrats the same ways my flist speaks about Republicans. (Like, seriously. There are some posts I've read that I could copy and paste into early childhood memories of my dad. Which gets into completely seperate issues I have about personal-and-non-personal stuff and what it means to be a decent person, but that's a whole nother issue.)

Anyway, last election I was a sophomore in high school, so I was still living at home, and even though my politics were *already* way different than my family's (I identified as a feminist, for god's sakes! That alone could brand me a crazy radical, let alone some of the stuff I think now), there was still, I guess, that atmosphere.

I mean. I didn't know people *liked* Bill Clinton! (My parents both voted against him -- not necessarily for anybody else, but *against him*, the way so many people are going to do for W in the fall.)

None of this should be a surprise to me -- I've spent most of time, online and real life, among left-leaning people since I went off to college -- but it still just hits me anew sometimes and I have to go back and sort through my deprogramming.

I'm not sure if this entry entirely makes sense outside my head, but ah well.

Comments

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

I totally get what you're saying. Not because my family were Republicans (they've always voted Democrat...and had me out on the street campaigning when I was four *g*), but because my world - LJ and academia and New York and my relatives are *all* predominately left wing Dems...and then I see polls that show the millions of people who support Bush (or other Republicans who don't inspire the same knee jerk loathing in me) and I go "Man, what isolated corner of America do I live in that I keep forgetting that my views are not the only views?

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

See, you know, I get *that*, too! Because, you know, LJ and academia and blah blah blah is the other half of my world -- so I forget till I'm at home that hey, there are people who don't pray for the president's death! It's rather strange.

[fox1013.livejournal.com]

Who would wish for the president's death, when Cheney would take over?


...Perhaps that is not the point you were going for.

No, seriously, *snugs*

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I was going to say!

Um...no. I was going to say that I *don't* pray for Bush's death. I just pray for him to decide he'd rather work at a Burger King as the late night fries maker. *g*

[swamp-dragon.livejournal.com]

Not possible. To work at Burger King you at least need to have the brainpower of a concussed hamster, and Bush isn't that smart.

[cimadness.livejournal.com]

So we just need multiple deaths! A modern and politcally selective black death in DC! *g*