Swinging For The Fences
I am mad at myself. Rather, I am disappointed in myself. Battered by the anti-intellectual, jingoistic, bigoted right wingers who have dominated public debate for the last 20 years and who had finally found their face-man in a C-average, failed business leader who claimed a calling from God, I dug in and for 8 years I kept my head down. I did not get involved, I "talked" to my friends of course (read vented) but beyond voting in every election I did nothing to offset their excesses. I did not not even campaign for those in whom I believed. So, earlier this year, inspired by the outpouring of support for our new President and a seeming new breath of activism he has engendered among people of all stripes, I popped my head out of the foxhole I had dug around my beliefs during the last 8 years and made a commitment to myself to better live my ideals. I took an oath to to reach out beyond myself, to think beyond my own needs and my own fears, to take ACTION to create the change I look for. But, I stumbled recently and since I am confident I am not the only person to whom this has happened I wanted to write about it maybe that will help me feel as though I am back on track and heading in the right direction toward being the person I want to be.
On my way home from work recently I stopped into a convenience store for a soda. While waiting in line I overheard the following comment about a famous woman (I cannot remember her name and truthfully it is irrelevant to the point I am making): X, she's a lesbian...what a waste. The part I am upset about is that I let that comment go, that I didn't say what immediately sprang into my mind which was I'll bet her girlfriend doesn't feel that way you bigoted a-hole. I am upset that once again I let a comment like this remain unanswered. Mind you this is not the first time I have been there when someone pitched a comment like this out and I simply let it go by without taking a swing at it. And I am confident I am not alone.
How many of us have sat back when a racist comment was made in our presence? How often have we heard a racist, sexist or homophobic joke or comment and, for whatever reason, sat in pained silence rather than taking a stand against it? Perhaps it was a family member making the comment or a coworker (or boss) and rather than make waves we let it slide. Perhaps it was a transitory social situation like the convenience store and since we would be out of the situation in a short period, again, we let the pitch go by. To further strain the baseball analogy, perhaps we were looking for the perfect pitch. It's easy to think that if we wait for the right opportunity well have a better chance of having an impact with that person. After all, they're not likely to listen to how horrible their comment is when they are surrounded by cronies who are giggling along with them.
But, here is what I realized in thinking about this incident and my reaction to it: It is not just the overt acts of bigotry that need fighting it is the small acts. In fact I think it is the pernicious, ingrained, small examples of bigotry that keep it from being eliminated entirely. It is easy to see the obviously gangrenous hand and yet miss the infected pinky toe but address one and ignore the other and you will still die from the poison running through your system.
So, I am here to say beware; I will no longer suffer fools gladly. I will no longer remain silent under ANY circumstance. If you feel free to use bigoted, sexist or homophobic language in my presence I will feel free to call you out for the idiot you really are and damn the consequences. Family members, coworkers, bosses, casual acquaintances and transitory passers-by be advised, from this point on I will make waves, from this point forward I am swinging for the fences.
I am mad at myself. Rather, I am disappointed in myself. Battered by the anti-intellectual, jingoistic, bigoted right wingers who have dominated public debate for the last 20 years and who had finally found their face-man in a C-average, failed business leader who claimed a calling from God, I dug in and for 8 years I kept my head down. I did not get involved, I "talked" to my friends of course (read vented) but beyond voting in every election I did nothing to offset their excesses. I did not not even campaign for those in whom I believed. So, earlier this year, inspired by the outpouring of support for our new President and a seeming new breath of activism he has engendered among people of all stripes, I popped my head out of the foxhole I had dug around my beliefs during the last 8 years and made a commitment to myself to better live my ideals. I took an oath to to reach out beyond myself, to think beyond my own needs and my own fears, to take ACTION to create the change I look for. But, I stumbled recently and since I am confident I am not the only person to whom this has happened I wanted to write about it maybe that will help me feel as though I am back on track and heading in the right direction toward being the person I want to be.
On my way home from work recently I stopped into a convenience store for a soda. While waiting in line I overheard the following comment about a famous woman (I cannot remember her name and truthfully it is irrelevant to the point I am making): X, she's a lesbian...what a waste. The part I am upset about is that I let that comment go, that I didn't say what immediately sprang into my mind which was I'll bet her girlfriend doesn't feel that way you bigoted a-hole. I am upset that once again I let a comment like this remain unanswered. Mind you this is not the first time I have been there when someone pitched a comment like this out and I simply let it go by without taking a swing at it. And I am confident I am not alone.
How many of us have sat back when a racist comment was made in our presence? How often have we heard a racist, sexist or homophobic joke or comment and, for whatever reason, sat in pained silence rather than taking a stand against it? Perhaps it was a family member making the comment or a coworker (or boss) and rather than make waves we let it slide. Perhaps it was a transitory social situation like the convenience store and since we would be out of the situation in a short period, again, we let the pitch go by. To further strain the baseball analogy, perhaps we were looking for the perfect pitch. It's easy to think that if we wait for the right opportunity well have a better chance of having an impact with that person. After all, they're not likely to listen to how horrible their comment is when they are surrounded by cronies who are giggling along with them.
But, here is what I realized in thinking about this incident and my reaction to it: It is not just the overt acts of bigotry that need fighting it is the small acts. In fact I think it is the pernicious, ingrained, small examples of bigotry that keep it from being eliminated entirely. It is easy to see the obviously gangrenous hand and yet miss the infected pinky toe but address one and ignore the other and you will still die from the poison running through your system.
So, I am here to say beware; I will no longer suffer fools gladly. I will no longer remain silent under ANY circumstance. If you feel free to use bigoted, sexist or homophobic language in my presence I will feel free to call you out for the idiot you really are and damn the consequences. Family members, coworkers, bosses, casual acquaintances and transitory passers-by be advised, from this point on I will make waves, from this point forward I am swinging for the fences.
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
You rock!
xoo
You rock!
xoo