On the eve of the American election.
Its almost election day for we Americans and I started off my morning with a video clip of Ellen shared by Michael Pinell.
I've been following this year's national election through the lens of the humorist. Andy Borowitz and The Onion have cleverly covered what I already knew long before primaries: Obama is getting my vote and Romney (insert almost any Republican candidate) is a sexist twerp.
Yes, on the national ticket I vote strictly along party lines. I don't have a choice. The Democratic party is my best hope for healthcare, equal pay for equal work, legal rights, abortion access and numerous other freedoms and protections that I view as a birthright.
So I'm in Europe watching the Facebook ticker and the Borowitz Twitter stream and experiencing the amazing lift that comes from living in countries with universal social welfare.
Dre and I have travelled through Paris and Prague and Amsterdam. And I have added Malmo and Copenhagen to the list and I have encountered at most 5 homeless people and ZERO angry, drunk, maimed transient people.
In the states, in every city I have lived in, I have navigated streets that are dangerous and populated by people who are at their wits end and have turned into violent, angry and hurt beasts.
I am not trying to dehumanize these people. Society at large is.
We are a social creature that must, at various points in our lives, rely on the pack to keep us alive. It's an inevitable reality. We will all have unfortunate runs of luck or illness. But, in the states, any hard run of things is inevitably compounded by the threat and the reality that if you are not an economically productive and viable and mobile member of society you will live on its hungry, angry, violent, cruel edges.
It's crazy making. Which is why mental illness is out on front street of every American main street.
I was chatting with my Swedish friend Julia and she was telling me how it is such a laugh to hear President Obama characterized as a socialist. Because they actually have socialist political leaders in Sweden and Barack ain't one. He's our best hope on the American ticket for social protections, but he is not a socialist. Socialism is a bad word in America and no individual hoping to actually win the presidency would ever declare themselves one.
The completely mythical notion of the promise of rugged individualism makes Americans paranoid about giving too much to their neighbor. Me included. I get anxious and freaked out about being too generous. Like if I pay too much for this locally made organic something I might spiral into debt and end up destitute. Because I could end up destitute. It doesn't matter that I am a young, capable educated woman. If I am not always trying to protect my economic assets I am screwed. And looked down upon.
No wonder we are plagued by so much violence. Fear is the fuel for our society. And many of us break under the pressure.
Its been wild to witness the dignity with which working-class people do their work here. The man at the fry stand doesn't look beaten down. The transit drivers are well-pressed, relaxed. Easy going. Can you imagine not avoiding eye contact so as not to provoke or witness the suffering of the minimum wage workers you encounter throughout your day?
It happens so subtly in the states. You know the county clerk is overworked and under-compensated. So you tread lightly, trying to avoid provocation. This is especially true for service workers. So many of the folks we engage with each day are on the verge of economic ruin or are already living that. And if they or their kids are sick, their lot is all the more miserable. And it shows.
But that is simply not the case here.
And its heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. Heart-breaking because it makes it so clear how much Americans are suffering while strangely trying to prove to the rest of the world that we have a handle on things while twisting their arm into joining us on our fucked up adventure of privatization and militarization.
I'm not saying things are perfect. We often (and only) hear about the struggles of Europe. About the economic strife and racism. But I've found, like I found when I went to Korea, that the American coverage of the state of these countries is grossly mischaracterized and rooted in our own story. There couldn't possibly be a world in which the whole of society is provided for and not living under the gun.
It's as if we paint the most unflattering picture possible of our neighbors to shape a more favorable comparison. The only way to know the difference is to see if for yourself. I'm lucky I have.
p.s. If you are in Oakland, VOTE. Its crazy important. Kaplan. Duh. But really her opponent has been sending me the most outrageous distasteful emails EVA and if he wins the day, we are sort of screwed. I'm a little ambivalent on city attorney, but because the police union is gunning for Brunner, I'd vote Parker. Cheers! And happy voting.
I've been following this year's national election through the lens of the humorist. Andy Borowitz and The Onion have cleverly covered what I already knew long before primaries: Obama is getting my vote and Romney (insert almost any Republican candidate) is a sexist twerp.
Yes, on the national ticket I vote strictly along party lines. I don't have a choice. The Democratic party is my best hope for healthcare, equal pay for equal work, legal rights, abortion access and numerous other freedoms and protections that I view as a birthright.
So I'm in Europe watching the Facebook ticker and the Borowitz Twitter stream and experiencing the amazing lift that comes from living in countries with universal social welfare.
Dre and I have travelled through Paris and Prague and Amsterdam. And I have added Malmo and Copenhagen to the list and I have encountered at most 5 homeless people and ZERO angry, drunk, maimed transient people.
In the states, in every city I have lived in, I have navigated streets that are dangerous and populated by people who are at their wits end and have turned into violent, angry and hurt beasts.
I am not trying to dehumanize these people. Society at large is.
We are a social creature that must, at various points in our lives, rely on the pack to keep us alive. It's an inevitable reality. We will all have unfortunate runs of luck or illness. But, in the states, any hard run of things is inevitably compounded by the threat and the reality that if you are not an economically productive and viable and mobile member of society you will live on its hungry, angry, violent, cruel edges.
It's crazy making. Which is why mental illness is out on front street of every American main street.
I was chatting with my Swedish friend Julia and she was telling me how it is such a laugh to hear President Obama characterized as a socialist. Because they actually have socialist political leaders in Sweden and Barack ain't one. He's our best hope on the American ticket for social protections, but he is not a socialist. Socialism is a bad word in America and no individual hoping to actually win the presidency would ever declare themselves one.
The completely mythical notion of the promise of rugged individualism makes Americans paranoid about giving too much to their neighbor. Me included. I get anxious and freaked out about being too generous. Like if I pay too much for this locally made organic something I might spiral into debt and end up destitute. Because I could end up destitute. It doesn't matter that I am a young, capable educated woman. If I am not always trying to protect my economic assets I am screwed. And looked down upon.
No wonder we are plagued by so much violence. Fear is the fuel for our society. And many of us break under the pressure.
Its been wild to witness the dignity with which working-class people do their work here. The man at the fry stand doesn't look beaten down. The transit drivers are well-pressed, relaxed. Easy going. Can you imagine not avoiding eye contact so as not to provoke or witness the suffering of the minimum wage workers you encounter throughout your day?
It happens so subtly in the states. You know the county clerk is overworked and under-compensated. So you tread lightly, trying to avoid provocation. This is especially true for service workers. So many of the folks we engage with each day are on the verge of economic ruin or are already living that. And if they or their kids are sick, their lot is all the more miserable. And it shows.
But that is simply not the case here.
And its heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. Heart-breaking because it makes it so clear how much Americans are suffering while strangely trying to prove to the rest of the world that we have a handle on things while twisting their arm into joining us on our fucked up adventure of privatization and militarization.
I'm not saying things are perfect. We often (and only) hear about the struggles of Europe. About the economic strife and racism. But I've found, like I found when I went to Korea, that the American coverage of the state of these countries is grossly mischaracterized and rooted in our own story. There couldn't possibly be a world in which the whole of society is provided for and not living under the gun.
It's as if we paint the most unflattering picture possible of our neighbors to shape a more favorable comparison. The only way to know the difference is to see if for yourself. I'm lucky I have.
p.s. If you are in Oakland, VOTE. Its crazy important. Kaplan. Duh. But really her opponent has been sending me the most outrageous distasteful emails EVA and if he wins the day, we are sort of screwed. I'm a little ambivalent on city attorney, but because the police union is gunning for Brunner, I'd vote Parker. Cheers! And happy voting.
Wow, this was an insightful, well-written summary of a lot of the feelings I've been having. It was interesting to hear the first-hand European perspective of things.
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