The Elephant in the Room

This blog post is dedicated to all my conservative family, friends, co-workers, Facebook friends, or random strangers, such as Ann Coulter. 

How about that Barack Obama eh? High five? Oh no, ok ok, I won’t gloat in front of you because God forbid I be happy about something that is very important to me personally.  I may not gloat, but I will discuss the feelings I have been feeling and some experiences my liberal friends and family have been experiencing since Election Day.

 

#1—It’s ok for you to put me in a box (not a literal box if anyone was confused), but the minute I start with any kind of statements or evidence against the Republican party I’m overgeneralizing and you are “so offended.”

 

Exhibit A: Oh it’s all fun and games and “LOL’s” when you re-tweet and share Tim Tebow’s tweet from earlier this week:

However when I post a map comparing the map of the US and its territories in 1846 and the 2012 Election Electoral College map, I’m stating that if you voted for Mitt Romney you support slavery...

 

Let me state on the record, this map comparison has nothing to do with the support of slavery.  It is an historical comparison of the polarization of two distinct regions of the United States.  History has affected these regions and many issues have divided these regions (including slavery), but in 2012 it is not the issue of slavery  that divides these areas.  You could place any modern day social issue into the 2012 Electoral map, such as same sex marriage or repealing Obama care.  The Civil War among other events in history shaped these regions and their values. So while you blatantly call Democrats lazy and unemployed and I make an educated historical argument, I’m the one overgeneralizing and being offensive.

 

#2-I’m not open to your views.

Yes, I will admit that sometimes it is hard for me to wrap my mind around conservatism not because I do not understand it, but it is sometimes hard for me to comprehend how people can think in such a way.  However, telling me I’m “close minded” or not open to your ideas is ridiculous.  I understand conservatism and I actually don’t mind some of its principles: Trickle-down Economics and the privatization of government agencies and programs. They don't work in practice, but they are decent theories.  So thanks for the lesson in basic political science, but save it for your NRA meetings.  I have many friends who come from different backgrounds and beliefs.  I’m open to all opinions except when specific policies that your party and specifically your presidential candidate support not only discriminate against me, but the people I love.  I didn’t support Mitt Romney because the area of gay rights and women’s rights is no longer a grey issue between the candidates.  The Romney/Ryan ticket 100% believed that gay Americans should not have the same legal rights as their straight counterparts even promising a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage (a freaking  constitutional amendment!) and that women shouldn’t have the right to their own bodies even in instances of the horrific act of rape.  You support a party platform and a candidate who clearly discriminates against you and your family and friends.  However, I’m the close minded one….

 

 

#3-The Republican party is an inclusive party

As a political scientist stated on NPR yesterday, “The 2012 Republican National Convention looked like a Klan rally, the 2012 Democratic National Convention looked like America.”  The demographic make-up of the United States has changed and will continue to change.  10% of the electorate is Latino and ¼ of the voting block is single women.  Three more states legalized same-sex marriage and Prop 8 and DOMA will be on the docket for the Supreme Court later this year.  The country is evolving, but the Republican Party is not.  The citizens of the United States stood up this week and yes we may only be 51 or 52% of the majority, but we stated, “You will no longer treat us differently because of our sex, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status.”  You continue to support a party who has the platform that continues to divide us.  I’m not saying stop being a Republican, I’m saying the Republican Party is a hybrid of what it used to be.  It is no longer the party of Lincoln; it barely even resembles Reagan’s policies.  I truthfully believe it is the party of fear.  Legislate against all the things we fear, because our society is so rapidly changing and this strikes fear in many people. 

 

I know this election only made things more heated on social media and around dinner tables and water coolers this week.  However, I’m not going to apologize for my comments or the comments that will come years after this post.  There is a difference between respecting people’s opinions and fighting for equal rights.  This election was a turning point in our history and has opened up the flood gates for equality and advancement in many areas and I’m very excited to see what the next four years will bring.  So please feel free to throw words at me, “Un-American, lazy, welfare supporter, non-traditional.”  However, I have one request …say it to my face. That's right, look me straight in the eyes and tell me how your party is supporting gay rights, women’s rights, immigrant rights, education, social welfare, public health, health care reform, childhood obesity, the economy, hate crimes, and the environment.  I believe there are times in history where we have to stand up for what is right and not apologize for our actions along the way.  The next four years will be one of those times.  So no matter if it’s at school, work, the beauty shop, or at church: don’t be afraid to speak up for equality.  We aren’t “over generalizing” or “pointing the finger”; we are fighting for our rights.  So if the shoe fits, there is an elephant in the room.  Are you going to run from it or look it directly in the eyes? 

 

-Ross