While a large portion of the world sits around playing the “fuck-it,
let’s see what happens” game, I find myself asking a strange question: ‘what
would Shawn say?’
For a bit of context, anyone that knows me at all will tell
you I’m a ‘bit’ into American politics. This is in part because the United
States will always be a part of who I am and where I come from.
Truth be told though, that’s not the whole story. To
understand the rest of it you’d have to know that the best parts of my
childhood were spent arguing. The fact that the topic of choice happened to be politics
was just an excuse. It was a means to an end.
For my father it was the chance
to teach his know-it-all kid that having an opinion is easy, but backing it up
with facts and logic was something else. What the kid got out of it was
something I wish more folks had these days, the chance to argue a point against
someone smarter than themselves. Personally, I reckon the old man got the short
end of the stick on that one.
Anyway, what would Shawn say? Towards the end of his life it
seemed like the farther right he went the farther left I ran. At our core
though there was a set of values that we never disagreed on, despite how we
might’ve argued about how to get there.
Firstly, no man, woman or child who is willing to get up
every day and do their best should feel like they aren’t welcome in America. Or,
as I’d like to think Shawn would say ‘how can it be that the nation that
defined the concept of self-providence and hard work is suddenly scared of a
bunch of fucking Mexicans that want the same thing I’ve got?”
Being the prick that I am, I likely would’ve pointed out
that this isn’t exactly the first time we’ve gone off the deep end as far as
immigration is concerned. But, he was always more of an idealist than me.
Next, I have no doubt that the ‘grab them by the pussy’
audio tape would’ve bothered him. Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t a dyed in the
wool feminist (trust me on this one). But, one of the earliest pieces of ‘dating
advice’ that I can remember hearing from him is something that I believe to
this day. It went something like this: ‘Son, if a lady takes enough pity on
your dumb ass to sleep with you, don’t go telling everyone about it. Number 1; get
a bit of class about yourself. Number 2, if you run your mouth she won’t go
doing it again.’
That sage (and unconventional) advice explains why it is that
I’m disgusted by the man I now have to call “President.” I give not a shit what
two CONSENTING adults do behind
closed doors. But what Trump described wasn’t consensual and it certainly didn’t
have any class about it. Let’s pretend for a moment that the interactions he
was referring to were between two adults who were fully in agreement with
grabbing each other wherever and whenever….. That doesn’t give him the right to
go and brag about it to some second rate television personality (or anyone else
for that matter). So, what would Shawn say? “Getabita class about ya’, ya’
fuckin’ pig” Side note, for those who aren’t sure, “Getabita” is one word. It’s
what impatient folks say instead of “get a bit of.”
This last part of this is the hardest of all.
Despite all of the reasons that I’ve already explained (and
many more that I don’t want to bore folks with) I honestly think when it came
right down to pulling the lever that my father would’ve gone for Trump. For me,
this is where the know-it-all kid just isn’t as capable of righteous
indignation as what he should be. The honest truth is that regardless of the
name of the head of the fish that stinks, and the party he/she has represented,
my life has pretty much been the same all along.
What I mean by this is that I grew up on every government
program that there’s a name for. Food stamps, done. WIC, of course. Social
security, naturally. Medicaid, why not? At the end of the day, we were still
poor and no one gave a shit. Now, lest you think this is some kind of
anti-liberal rant, I think it’s important to point out that while I love my
country, I won’t ever be able to live there again…… and that’s purely because
of Republican ‘healthcare’ policies. In my youth, I spent 4 days in the
hospital. That’s left me with a bill of over $20,000. Now, an argument could be
made that with hard work and dedication I might someday be able to pay that
off. But, I can’t do it with my wife beside me because the US immigration policy
is fucked (again, thanks Republicans…. IE the “Family” party.)
My point is that regardless of who has been in power, life
for folks like me and mine has pretty much been the same from one administration
to the next.
Then all of a sudden you have this guy come along that says
he’s going to fix it all. In the midst of all the crazy, vile BS that he spews,
he somehow manages to say the right thing once in awhile. His competition on
the other hand? All she can do is point out how awful her opponent is and
promise you that if you vote for her you’ll get at least 4 years of the same……
All you folks thinking ‘well, that’s an easy choice’, try to
put yourselves in the shoes of my father and the millions of other people just
like him. Imagine for a moment you’re confined to the same chair that’s been
your home regardless of who is in power. What would you do? Would you play the
safe choice and bank on the people that have spent the last 30 years screwing you
again and again? Or, would you take a chance?
Every now and then the know-it-all kid was right. But,
sometimes that’s not enough. Sometimes, it’s not just about being right.
Sometimes you have to listen to people you don’t agree with. I reckon that’s
about all I have to say on the subject.
