Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Back to work...

I'm officially the VP of Drury's organization, Students for Barack Obama. I won't try to hide it anymore. I'm an avid Obama supporter. I've bought the whole thing, hook, line, and sinker. Growing up under the Bush regime and all it's idiotic, hurtful policies, it's hard not to support someone other than Bush, Jr. (whom others know as John McCain). I saw Obama speak here in Springfield in June, which was absolutely phenomenal. I've gone canvasing for the campaign, made cold calls, I'm on a first name basis with everyone here in the Springfield headquarters, and now I'm helping organize students here at Drury for the cause.

Still, I'm really plagued with anxiety about it all. Today I had about three students try to rip off the Obama sticker I sported proudly on my shirt all day. One of them said, "Obama is GAY!!!!" To which I responded somewhat snarkily, "Oh man! Don't tell his wife and kids!" Another straight up said to me, "I'm gonna impress my political views on you whether you like it or not!" Again, I replied curtly, "And that's why you're a Republican." Fifty bucks says none of the people who tried to rip the sticker off of my shirt have done any research into why they're going to vote for McCain or why they hate Obama.

The other day I saw a bumper sticker on the back of a car that said, "NObama," which I'm fine with (outside of really detesting most negative campaigning). Freedom of speech is a good thing. Upon further inspection, I wanted to punch the window out of the car that had the bumper sticker attached to it. Instead of the field of red and white with a sun rising over it that represents Obama's campaign, there was instead a blue Muslim star and crescent. How ignorant can you be?!?! Not only is that straight up wrong, but it's hateful to a perfectly beautiful religion.

The point is that over and over again I'm confronted with the fact that Americans (and I'll hesitantly say that most humans in general) are very stupid. They so proudly tout their antiquated positions and opinions, but really it's an ego thing. Most people don't actually CARE about what they have opinions about; they just care that they have opinions and that that somehow justifies them as right. I hate it all so much. I'm so worried that I'm going to lose this country which has the potential to be so much better than it is to ignorant, egomaniacal assholes who are so quick to jump onto the "moral majority" bandwagon. The strange thing is, most of these people actually lose out by voting Republican. Financially, the rich are getting richer and are systematically subjugating the lower class, who are the ones most excited about the moral platform! They're voting to have their food, gas, mortgage, car, and health insurance payments go up! Just so long as no babies are being murdered and them God-damned fags aren't getting married, they're okay with it.

So I'm doing all I can right now. I'm trying to get the word out on my campus (in a much less ranty way than I am here on the blog. Sometimes a guy needs to vent), registering people to vote, trying to educate, and casting the one vote I get. Come November, I will either be ecstatic or biding my time until I get my degree and can defect. It's a very tempting solution, especially when more of Bush's policies means taking one more step towards our country's doom.

5 comments:

Peter Clothier said...

Welcome back to Blogland, Mark--and thanks for checking in on The Buddha Diaries. Good for you, to be working for Obama, and to be standing up for what you believe in the face of ignorant shouts and bullying. I honor your stand. Best of everything for the new semester and, of course, for November.

Anonymous said...

Good for you indeed. And while you're at it, try to get the young women there to understand that Palin is anti-woman and will only bring us all grief.

Unknown said...

Peter directed me this way, Mark. I am glad you are blogger. Blessings to you.

Mark said...

It's good to be back! And, of course, it's always great to get feedback from my blogging peers.

Citizen - I have yet to meet a woman who thinks Palin is worthy of anyone's vote that wasn't already going to vote Republican. Of course, they'd vote Republican if Darth Sidious from Star Wars was the candidate.

Nick - Blessings to you too, my friend. Nice to see a new reader, and nice to find a new blog to read!

the fly said...

"The point is that over and over again I'm confronted with the fact that Americans (and I'll hesitantly say that most humans in general) are very stupid." from "Back to work..."

marko...really? sorry, but this sounds like an elitist college student statement.
i hope you learn to appreciate how intelligent most people really are. often bigoted--but stupid? come on. i hope you take some time from your campaigning and studies to think about what you wrote here.

(by the way--"most humans in general"? how much time have you spent with "most humans in general"?)

i still love you and are glad you are back to blogging.