Take a deep breath, and then another
I've sort of been avoiding writing about the election because it's stressing me out, but this morning I realized if I don't write about it today I won't be able to write about it at all because anything I say will be contaminated by my knowledge of the election results. So I guess if I have something to say, I'd better get it said today.
I'm about to go out and vote and after that I'm going to my job at a more-or-less lefty community newspaper where everyone is going to be tracking updates and making predictions all day long. After work I may drop by the Election Night party at the community center, and after that I'm coming home to take a bath and read Wendell Berry and go to bed early. I don't want to buy into the drama surrounding this election any more than I have to so I've decided not to wait up for the results, but simply to read about them in the morning, after a good night's sleep.
In some ways I'm excited by all the talk of change, and I do think it all matters. It's important who wins. At the same time, I hate all this manufactured drama of epic proportions – "the most important election in U.S. history!!!!!" – and resent the attempts of many to force me into supporting someone who is still far from being the person I would really like to see as president.
Of the two major contenders Obama is clearly the one most in line with the values I want to see expressed in the world. And I know it isn't his fault – or McCain's either, for that matter – that we're all embedded in a pathologically selfish, consumeristic, capitalistic society ruled by corporations instead of human beings.
I also know it isn't really as simple as that ... take the Freddie/Fanny bailouts. As someone who's always wanted to own a house, and never been able to afford even the cheapest condo where I live, there's a part of me that thinks maybe I should've gotten in on all that cheap mortgage action too, and signed up for a loan I knew I couldn't pay back, just like all those other folks did. I considered it when all the hoopla was going on but decided not to because I didn't want to get in over my head and risk losing the house, going bankrupt, etc. So I feel like kind of a chump now, seeing tax money – MY money! – going to save those people, so they can keep the houses they never should've bought in the first place, while I still can't afford to buy one.
On the other hand, what would happen to the whole economy if all those loans really did go in the crapper? Something terrible, from everything I've read. Truthfully I don't completely understand how all this works and what the real implications would be, but my point in bringing it up is just that the world we live in here in the U.S. is complicated, and no one person, even if it is the president, has the final say on everything that happens. Not to minimize the importance of this election – but just to counter some of the hyperbole in the other direction ....
The way I see it, the whole thing is symbolic. Who a person votes for depends on the story they most want to believe is true. A McCain supporter likes the story where anyone who works hard can succeed, and should be allowed to amass as much benefit as possible from their own efforts, and be able to use it to take care of themselves and their families in any way they see fit, and to decide for themselves how much and in what ways they want to share their wealth and help those who need it. This story is about personal power, and a belief in a weird sort of cosmic justice – that success is the natural result of honest effort, that you can do, be, have anything you want, if you're willing to work hard enough. There's also a certain optimism and faith in the best parts of human nature here – the assumption that when people have wealth and resources to share, they will share them willingly with those who don't have enough. The government doesn't need to tell anyone what to do in this regard, because people are good and will take appropriate care of their fellow humans without being forced to.
There's a lot to like in that story. The main problem I have with it is that it isn't true, or at least, it isn't complete. First of all, it should be obvious to anyone with eyes to see that the rich are not falling over themselves to be first in line to help the "less fortunate." Sure, there are charitable foundations and philanthropic societies and silent auctions galore, but even with these, the catch always seems to be that the people who contribute want to reserve the right to judge for themselves whether the recipients are worthy of help – whether they deserve help. Whether they've "earned" it, the same way the lofty rich have "earned" the wealth they may deign to bestow on those in need, or not. Kids with cancer and hurricane victims and others who've been taken down by circumstances beyond their own control are always popular beneficiaries. But if it looks like your misfortune is your own fault, because you were too lazy or stupid or sinful or greedy or whatever, then you're pretty much out of luck.
Another problem with this story is that hard work is not always enough to secure your place in the world. Some people work very hard and still never get anywhere. And some people aren't even able to work.
This is where the other story comes in, the story that seems to appeal more to Obama supporters. In this story, people understand that we all do better when everyone's needs are met, and so we all have a huge incentive to see that everyone around us is doing well – whether they're able or even willing to work to make that happen or not. There are times in everyone's life when they have more, and times when they have less, and it just makes sense to give more when you have more to give, knowing that when you run into trouble – as most everyone does at some time in their life – you're not going to be hung out to dry. In this story, we all rise together, or we all fall together.
Growing up in Mormonism, this second story was the one that always resonated more with me. I absorbed the idea that we all belong to each other, and that it's just simply wrong for one person to accumulate a lot of personal wealth when others are lacking and could use some help. I've never really understood why Utah is such a Republican state, when it seems like they'd be more liable to favor socialist candidates. Maybe it's because historically Mormons haven't always had the best relationship with the government, and while the organization itself is still sort of socialistic (from what I understand) they don't necessarily trust the government to carry out any economic plans based on the idea that if you have two coats, you should give one of them away to someone who doesn't have a coat at all. Or who knows, maybe they don't even teach those ideas anymore. I'm no expert on Mormonism in the twenty-first century.
All I can say is that growing up in that culture I always knew that if anything terrible ever happened to my family there would be people and resources there to take care of me until I could take care of myself, and I've never felt that way again since I left. I know that in my family we're all there for each other, but other than that – I don't feel very confident that "society" would kick in to help me if I, for example, were to lose my health insurance and start having serious medical problems that I couldn't pay for on my own. The idea of lying homeless and alone in a cold puddle of muddy water under a bridge somewhere, feet amputated, kidneys oozing, blind and with my blood sugar skyrocketing because of some horrid infection that won't go away ... well, it's kind of an exaggeration. But I wonder. How would McCain's America treat me if I ever did find myself in that situation? Would I get any help? Or would they just cluck their tongues and sadly turn away, wishing they could help but unable to, because it was all my own fault for getting fat in my 30s and eating too much Halloween candy, and it's not OK to help people who've brought their problems on themselves, because they must learn to take responsibility for their actions?
Urgh. Must stop writing now ... you can see why I shy away from topics like these. All my worst fears and most cynical thoughts come bubbling to the surface when people start talking politics, and it doesn't help to have all the universe conspiring to put HIGH DRAMA!!!!! over the elections all up in my face every minute of the day.
So anyway. Time to go vote. The main thing I want to remember is that no matter who wins, there are lots of people on all sides, all over the world in fact, who are trying to do good things. As my mom says, you can only really focus on one thing at a time – make it something positive.
I'm about to go out and vote and after that I'm going to my job at a more-or-less lefty community newspaper where everyone is going to be tracking updates and making predictions all day long. After work I may drop by the Election Night party at the community center, and after that I'm coming home to take a bath and read Wendell Berry and go to bed early. I don't want to buy into the drama surrounding this election any more than I have to so I've decided not to wait up for the results, but simply to read about them in the morning, after a good night's sleep.
In some ways I'm excited by all the talk of change, and I do think it all matters. It's important who wins. At the same time, I hate all this manufactured drama of epic proportions – "the most important election in U.S. history!!!!!" – and resent the attempts of many to force me into supporting someone who is still far from being the person I would really like to see as president.
Of the two major contenders Obama is clearly the one most in line with the values I want to see expressed in the world. And I know it isn't his fault – or McCain's either, for that matter – that we're all embedded in a pathologically selfish, consumeristic, capitalistic society ruled by corporations instead of human beings.
I also know it isn't really as simple as that ... take the Freddie/Fanny bailouts. As someone who's always wanted to own a house, and never been able to afford even the cheapest condo where I live, there's a part of me that thinks maybe I should've gotten in on all that cheap mortgage action too, and signed up for a loan I knew I couldn't pay back, just like all those other folks did. I considered it when all the hoopla was going on but decided not to because I didn't want to get in over my head and risk losing the house, going bankrupt, etc. So I feel like kind of a chump now, seeing tax money – MY money! – going to save those people, so they can keep the houses they never should've bought in the first place, while I still can't afford to buy one.
On the other hand, what would happen to the whole economy if all those loans really did go in the crapper? Something terrible, from everything I've read. Truthfully I don't completely understand how all this works and what the real implications would be, but my point in bringing it up is just that the world we live in here in the U.S. is complicated, and no one person, even if it is the president, has the final say on everything that happens. Not to minimize the importance of this election – but just to counter some of the hyperbole in the other direction ....
The way I see it, the whole thing is symbolic. Who a person votes for depends on the story they most want to believe is true. A McCain supporter likes the story where anyone who works hard can succeed, and should be allowed to amass as much benefit as possible from their own efforts, and be able to use it to take care of themselves and their families in any way they see fit, and to decide for themselves how much and in what ways they want to share their wealth and help those who need it. This story is about personal power, and a belief in a weird sort of cosmic justice – that success is the natural result of honest effort, that you can do, be, have anything you want, if you're willing to work hard enough. There's also a certain optimism and faith in the best parts of human nature here – the assumption that when people have wealth and resources to share, they will share them willingly with those who don't have enough. The government doesn't need to tell anyone what to do in this regard, because people are good and will take appropriate care of their fellow humans without being forced to.
There's a lot to like in that story. The main problem I have with it is that it isn't true, or at least, it isn't complete. First of all, it should be obvious to anyone with eyes to see that the rich are not falling over themselves to be first in line to help the "less fortunate." Sure, there are charitable foundations and philanthropic societies and silent auctions galore, but even with these, the catch always seems to be that the people who contribute want to reserve the right to judge for themselves whether the recipients are worthy of help – whether they deserve help. Whether they've "earned" it, the same way the lofty rich have "earned" the wealth they may deign to bestow on those in need, or not. Kids with cancer and hurricane victims and others who've been taken down by circumstances beyond their own control are always popular beneficiaries. But if it looks like your misfortune is your own fault, because you were too lazy or stupid or sinful or greedy or whatever, then you're pretty much out of luck.
Another problem with this story is that hard work is not always enough to secure your place in the world. Some people work very hard and still never get anywhere. And some people aren't even able to work.
This is where the other story comes in, the story that seems to appeal more to Obama supporters. In this story, people understand that we all do better when everyone's needs are met, and so we all have a huge incentive to see that everyone around us is doing well – whether they're able or even willing to work to make that happen or not. There are times in everyone's life when they have more, and times when they have less, and it just makes sense to give more when you have more to give, knowing that when you run into trouble – as most everyone does at some time in their life – you're not going to be hung out to dry. In this story, we all rise together, or we all fall together.
Growing up in Mormonism, this second story was the one that always resonated more with me. I absorbed the idea that we all belong to each other, and that it's just simply wrong for one person to accumulate a lot of personal wealth when others are lacking and could use some help. I've never really understood why Utah is such a Republican state, when it seems like they'd be more liable to favor socialist candidates. Maybe it's because historically Mormons haven't always had the best relationship with the government, and while the organization itself is still sort of socialistic (from what I understand) they don't necessarily trust the government to carry out any economic plans based on the idea that if you have two coats, you should give one of them away to someone who doesn't have a coat at all. Or who knows, maybe they don't even teach those ideas anymore. I'm no expert on Mormonism in the twenty-first century.
All I can say is that growing up in that culture I always knew that if anything terrible ever happened to my family there would be people and resources there to take care of me until I could take care of myself, and I've never felt that way again since I left. I know that in my family we're all there for each other, but other than that – I don't feel very confident that "society" would kick in to help me if I, for example, were to lose my health insurance and start having serious medical problems that I couldn't pay for on my own. The idea of lying homeless and alone in a cold puddle of muddy water under a bridge somewhere, feet amputated, kidneys oozing, blind and with my blood sugar skyrocketing because of some horrid infection that won't go away ... well, it's kind of an exaggeration. But I wonder. How would McCain's America treat me if I ever did find myself in that situation? Would I get any help? Or would they just cluck their tongues and sadly turn away, wishing they could help but unable to, because it was all my own fault for getting fat in my 30s and eating too much Halloween candy, and it's not OK to help people who've brought their problems on themselves, because they must learn to take responsibility for their actions?
Urgh. Must stop writing now ... you can see why I shy away from topics like these. All my worst fears and most cynical thoughts come bubbling to the surface when people start talking politics, and it doesn't help to have all the universe conspiring to put HIGH DRAMA!!!!! over the elections all up in my face every minute of the day.
So anyway. Time to go vote. The main thing I want to remember is that no matter who wins, there are lots of people on all sides, all over the world in fact, who are trying to do good things. As my mom says, you can only really focus on one thing at a time – make it something positive.
4 Comments:
You will never lie homeless and alone in a muddy puddle if I have anything to say about it.
--g
Ditto to the 'you will never lie homeless in muddy puddles.' You will always have a home with us if ever you need it. Honestly, think what fun it could be to be crazy old ladies together! (as long as you don't make me live with cats.)
The only thing I find encouraging with this round of elections is that people do seem to be more engaged in this go round than in years past - I hope people keep that fire lit and get involved in their communities.
The Eldest keeps asking me about who should win. I think he's aware enough of the ads and mudslinging that he's worried that if the wrong person wins it will be The End Of The World As We Know It (remember Y2K? How many generators were sold on that particular brand of hysteria?). I keep explaining to the kids that both sides have sincerely good people, both sides have hopes/plans to improve things - they just go about it differently. I voted this morning, not that it does any good to vote for anything but Republican here in the reddest county of the reddest state in the Union. meh.
tina, this is one of the most lucid and eloquent explanations of the difference between the two parties that i've ever read.
Hello I read your blog and I feel very sad in a way that you seem to be so understanding about how much poeple need to be helped but you don't think this is the most important election in American history. I like you don't have much confidence in people helping when the need is there. Now think about this election Obama is coming from the aspect of being oppressed, his been there and he has felt the sharp pain of oppression. anyone who has felt that will always be thinking about it in the back of their head and try not bring that oppression to others.
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