This year old clip (from 9/19/07) of San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders reversing his anti-gay-marriage stance has going viral since Prop. 8 passed. Many of my friends were muchly and mushily moved by it. Anja was like, “Eh.” And while I wasn’t quite that immune to this man’s teary cathartic moment, I too wasn’t overwhelmed, and I’m trying to figure out why.
I don’t think I ever posted the list of what-ifs that went around before the election (What if Obama was a member of the Keating Five? What if he had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter? Etc. etc.), but I started thinking about such questions in terms of the Sanders clip as I wondered why we are so moved that he finally came to an ethical, sensible conclusion that so many of us find a given.
Well, I think we’re moved, in large part, because he’s a Republican, middle-aged white guy. This is not to judge those who are so moved, just a point of interest that actually has something to do with what this blog is supposed to be about. If we simply changed his gender, made him a middle-aged, conservative white woman, would we be so enthralled with her change of heart? Would her tears mean as much? I don’t think so. It’s the unexpected emotion from a buttoned-down man that does it.
But now I’m thinking to myself that this is obvious and hardly worth mentioning. Of course we’re more taken with the unexpected. What I’m more interested in is why Anja, and myself to a lesser extent, weren’t so moved by it at all. I suppose on my part it’s that when I first heard it, I thought he was making this statement after Prop. 8 passed, and I thought gee, fella, thanks but no thanks, where were you two weeks ago? That is, I was annoyed at his now useless blubbering.
But when I saw that he made the statement last year, I felt better about it. So maybe if I’d known when he’d made the statement in the first place, I too would’ve been able to swoon. But somehow I don’t think so, and I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m just more pissed that it took him so damn long. Readers?
***
Here’s a linguistic breakdown of the shocking literacy of our pres-elect.
And here’s a related, short-and-sweet piece from Andy Borowitz, on the astounding fact that we're about to have a leader who knows how to use a subject and a verb.
***
Some people think this is irrelevant, others don’t. The other day, the bosses at GM, Chrysler, and Ford, each flew separately to DC in private jets (to the tune of $20k each) to beg Congress for money. I say it’s just kinda stupid – their PR people were asleep at the wheel, as it were.
***
If you ask me, and you do, I’d say that Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus is not only an asshole, but simply doesn’t know what side his bread is buttered on, if that’s the right expression. That is, WHEN DOES THE BOYCOTT START?!?! and how can I get involved in it (and would it be okay if I run out and pick up those last couple of switch plates first?)
***
Here’s Mike Madden in Salon about the Dems sucking up to Lieberman. In strictly pragmatic terms, yes, it made sense to let Joe the Piece of Shit back into the fold, but since when is pragmatism the only consideration in politics. Fucking Infuriating. Part of me just can’t believe it, but part of me can believe it all too easily. I think Joe knew all along he’d be able to slither out of it if Barack won. What a disgusting excuse for a human being.
***
P.S. I’m not thrilled about Barack picking Hilary as Secretary of State either (the news just hit the wires). Which brings me to a column I want to write called “The Moralist.” Many of you know Randy Cohen’s “The Ethicist” column in the NY Times, in which, in carefully measured tone, Cohen dissectsethical dilemmas submitted by readers. My column would/will be, duh,moralistic, vengeful, vituperative responses to readers’ questions of right and wrong. For example, I think Joe Lieberman should be not justthrown out of the Senate but locked up in a goddamn igloo, subsisting on nothing but fish eyes and Red Bull, with Sarah Palin and John McCain (The beauty is that they would be would be equally punished by having to live with people they teemed up with but really can’t stand. And they’d be all hopped up and twitchy on the Red Bull.) I can come up with better stuff than that, but you get the idea. Gosh, I cold write a "Moralist" column on just about any of the above.
Oh what the heck: Do you have a question for The Moralist? (It can be personal, political, pop cultural, you name it.)If so, send it (no, seriously) to jamie.the.moralist@gmail.com.
