Vote No on Proposition 8
Oct. 20th, 2008 05:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
d_aulnoyWhen's the last time that you were literally speechless? For me, it was Friday night.
The Gnu and I went out to the local farmer's market, and we bought spicy avocado hummus and jalapeno bread, red roses and ripe pomegranates and juicy peaches, and searched fruitlessly for presents for my father and my beloved![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
herenever , whose birthdays are within 24 hours of one another. It was a very nice night of domesticity, until a perfectly normal-looking woman popped up and brightly offered us a "Vote Yes on Proposition 8!" flier.
Now, this is deliberately worded in a confusing fashion: it's known as "The California Marriage Protection Act." I read that, and I think it's protecting the rights of Californians to marry whomever they like, not the abstract institution of "marriage" according to its most narrow definition ... but, more fool me. The fliers are friendly-looking and soothing, all in tones of blue and green with cheery little Keith Haring-esque families gamboling all over them. (Oh, the irony.) I'd actually looked Proposition 8 up earlier just that day after seeing a "Vote Yes!" sign on a neighbor's lawn, just because I couldn't believe that anybody would actually cheerfully advertise their bigotry in such a fashion. I had to be misunderstanding the two positions somehow, right? The problem was with my comprehension, and not with the state of the world? But, yep ... them's the breaks.
So, the "nice lady" offers me a flier, and I stutter out, "I'm sorry, but I disagree with absolutely everything that you stand for," and the Gnu, familiar with the signs of an impendingd_aulnoy breakdown, intervenes to ask her to clarify exactly what it is she means by "Yes." And she happily lilted out her little message of hate about how denying some people the right to wed would somehow improve the wedded status of others, and the Gnu hastily said, "Okay, that's what we were afraid of ...." and yanked me away, and I was literally speechless, although, as you can imagine, there is a great deal more that I would have liked to have said to her.
Starting with, what the hell is the matter with you? And everybody else who feels the way that you do? How do people actually bond over exclusion and prejudice? Why? What on earth do you feel you gain? And continuing downward into a merry pit of profanity. I somehow doubt that my dumbfounded facial expression managed to convery all of that (though, given that I have an expressive face, at least some of the implied profanity may have gotten across). It's a look I'd like to give to a great many people, apparently, because I've been seeing those damned signs everywhere - even in my fairly liberal little town of Californicators - and, well, I might have lied in my opening line. Friday wasn't the last time I was speechless.
I'm sincerely hoping that, post-election, there will be a last time, at least for this particular issue, and that anybody who damned well feels like having a happy night of married domesticity with bread and roses and security will have the option. I'm also sincerely hoping that, instead of me choking on my outrage, the "nice lady" and all her ilk will choke on the ubiquitous it when that happy day comes.
Vote NO on Proposition 8, people.
The Gnu and I went out to the local farmer's market, and we bought spicy avocado hummus and jalapeno bread, red roses and ripe pomegranates and juicy peaches, and searched fruitlessly for presents for my father and my beloved
herenever , whose birthdays are within 24 hours of one another. It was a very nice night of domesticity, until a perfectly normal-looking woman popped up and brightly offered us a "Vote Yes on Proposition 8!" flier. Now, this is deliberately worded in a confusing fashion: it's known as "The California Marriage Protection Act." I read that, and I think it's protecting the rights of Californians to marry whomever they like, not the abstract institution of "marriage" according to its most narrow definition ... but, more fool me. The fliers are friendly-looking and soothing, all in tones of blue and green with cheery little Keith Haring-esque families gamboling all over them. (Oh, the irony.) I'd actually looked Proposition 8 up earlier just that day after seeing a "Vote Yes!" sign on a neighbor's lawn, just because I couldn't believe that anybody would actually cheerfully advertise their bigotry in such a fashion. I had to be misunderstanding the two positions somehow, right? The problem was with my comprehension, and not with the state of the world? But, yep ... them's the breaks.
So, the "nice lady" offers me a flier, and I stutter out, "I'm sorry, but I disagree with absolutely everything that you stand for," and the Gnu, familiar with the signs of an impending
d_aulnoy breakdown, intervenes to ask her to clarify exactly what it is she means by "Yes." And she happily lilted out her little message of hate about how denying some people the right to wed would somehow improve the wedded status of others, and the Gnu hastily said, "Okay, that's what we were afraid of ...." and yanked me away, and I was literally speechless, although, as you can imagine, there is a great deal more that I would have liked to have said to her.Starting with, what the hell is the matter with you? And everybody else who feels the way that you do? How do people actually bond over exclusion and prejudice? Why? What on earth do you feel you gain? And continuing downward into a merry pit of profanity. I somehow doubt that my dumbfounded facial expression managed to convery all of that (though, given that I have an expressive face, at least some of the implied profanity may have gotten across). It's a look I'd like to give to a great many people, apparently, because I've been seeing those damned signs everywhere - even in my fairly liberal little town of Californicators - and, well, I might have lied in my opening line. Friday wasn't the last time I was speechless.
I'm sincerely hoping that, post-election, there will be a last time, at least for this particular issue, and that anybody who damned well feels like having a happy night of married domesticity with bread and roses and security will have the option. I'm also sincerely hoping that, instead of me choking on my outrage, the "nice lady" and all her ilk will choke on the ubiquitous it when that happy day comes.
Vote NO on Proposition 8, people.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 01:28 am (UTC)Still, I think what boggles me about the issue (watching on the news, natch, not being handed flyers) is how cheerful and happy these people appear to be. How can you be so happy destroying someone else's chance at happiness? I mean, marriage is definitely not for me, no way, but if someone else, anyone else, wants to take that shot, they should be allowed to, and no one else should get to gleefully take it away from them.
I'm really hoping the 'yes' doesn't win on this one, because I'm not sure I can take the inevitable cheers and celebrations on camera. "Yay, we trashed the lives of George Takei and Ellen de Generes, go us!"
no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 03:52 pm (UTC)Also, I am now picturing this entire thing being manufactured by someone with a huge hate-on for Sulu, which, while it doesn't actually make me feel *that* much better (I always liked him), does sort of fit the bill in terms of irrationality. Oddly, that point of comparison makes me feel better.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-22 09:15 pm (UTC)I can vouch that my marriage has in no way been damaged by everyone else having the same right.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 02:03 am (UTC)I won't show you the Yes on 8 ads I've seen. You might have an aneurism, and we all like Helen's brain :3
apparently Firefox says that aneurism is not a real word, which threatens to give ME one.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 03:50 pm (UTC)And, my brain thanks you (not that I'm with the Firefox on denial, just that the frothing rage won't be at all good for the kids who sit in the front row of my class): apparently, not watching TV has sheltered me a little *too* much on this one. I knew it was bad, but I didn't realize it was *accepted* ... GAH.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 02:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 04:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 10:36 am (UTC)But yes, some people do want to make me stand there and say 'Why are you such a hateful bigot?' And then usually tell them to stop claiming to be part of my religion because they're giving it a bad name.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 03:48 pm (UTC)Just on the last part, mind: obviously, I am totally with you on the incoherent rage.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 02:42 pm (UTC)This is actually one of the main ways people bond, whether it's on the level of an "I hate Susie" club in grade school or on the level of this sort of proposition. What people gain is a feeling of righteousness and being part of a special included group.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 03:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 04:07 pm (UTC)like jude said, we've got no 2 here, and i think it's no accident that it's being called 'number two'. i'm outraged on principle, but i'm lucky enough to be in an area where the majority of the signs say 'no on 2!'. my friend emmy / redorchard is not so lucky and has taken up the battle against her own stupid family members.
~X(
no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 04:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-21 09:56 pm (UTC)i'm just flabbergasted that my mom was surprised i'm not voting for mccain, and thrilled that my nine year old niece said she was going to put on a disguise and go vote for obama.
~;)