fascists for mountain lions

-
The other day, AK and I had one of our favorite kinds of conversations, where we answer the sort of theoretical questions you might find in the Ungame and make lists of our favorite things. The topic this particular day was: What issue are you most conservative about, and where are you a big lefty? (We’re both solid Obama supporters and everything, but bristle at any kind of knee-jerkiness, so I think we pride ourselves on having one or two unpredictable views.)

AK decided she leaned conservative on budget stuff and uber-liberal on transportation issues. I concluded that my basic distrust of the average voter’s ability to make good decisions was kind of conservative (“Well,” said AK, “that either makes you a fascist or a communist”).

I have leftist ideas that will never in a million years get implemented when it comes to:
  • marriage (all of it should be abolished in favor of domestic partnerships that can be entered into by any number of people whether or not they’re romantically involved...but until then, no on Prop. 8!)
  • salary caps (I’m for ‘em, and anything you earn past that amount goes into your private foundation, so you still have an incentive to work hard, but it’s for your favorite causes, not for your fifth Ferrari)
  • animal rights.
“The thing is, I don’t actually think people are superior to animals or should have more rights,” I explained. “If a building were on fire and a person and a cat were trapped inside, yeah, I’d rescue the person, but that’s just because I’m a person myself. That decision would be completely subjective. Intellectually, I feel equally about them.”

(Actually, it depends who the person was and who the cat was. George W. vs. any member of Team Gato? You know who I’m gonna choose.)

But as always, The Onion has put it more eloquently: http://www.theonion.com/content/news/brave_mountain_lion_fends_off.

What about all of you? Where do your inner red and blue states lie?

Comments

Don Cummings said…
I am completely liberal about drugs and prostitution. I not only believe they should be decriminalized, I believe the government should have departments that monitor the safe use of both. (Though this does not mean I'm much into either. I just think since people do these sort of things, just accept them, make them as safe as possible.)

I am pretty right on affirmative action. I don't think anyone should get an extra fair shake because of their anything. (Though, I do believe poor people who get into college should have it paid for...Harvard and Princeton, I think it's Princeton, are already doing this, perhaps others will follow)
September 12, 2008 at 1:13 AM
Jesi said…
i think people are stupid. what agent smith says to morpheus pretty much sums it up for me. i would rescue the cat.

and i am incredibly annoyed that the state of CA takes out $1000 per month of my paycheck. i would be so much less poorer, i could prolly be able to buy a condo with that money. bastards. couldn't they at least just give me $500 of it, after all i worked for it. even tho that pisses me off i do think taxes are unavoidable.

and i'm a leftist when it comes to marriage, pot, prostituition, and affirmative action, again i don't trust people, if it were up to us we would just hire people who look like us and think like us.
September 12, 2008 at 4:39 PM
CC said…
I'm a big left in my belief in paying taxes. It's how we build and run schools, roads, fire departments, state parks, health care for poor families, community colleges, and the Metro rail system. I'll take that over a condo any day.
September 12, 2008 at 5:19 PM
Peter Varvel said…
I also think marriage needs to be restructured, or changed drastically enough to have to rename it, even.
The current systems of marriage don't seem to be working out for many couples, but that may be because we're in L.A.?
September 13, 2008 at 10:40 PM
Tracy Lynn said…
With you on the marriage thing, although if you want to do such a religious ceremony, great, it just shouldn't have a legal meaning.

I am also pro choice, pro death penalty, and pro smacking stupid people around.
September 14, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Cheryl said…
Look at all the mild controversy I've provoked! I'm excited because I think Bread and Bread readers would probably agree on 94 percent of the issues, so it's fun to stir some shit up in that remaining seven percent.
September 15, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

soleil for a day

-
Image
1. cirque love Since starting gymnastics at age five—or at least since reading Geek Love in college—I’ve wanted to run away and join the circus. Actually, the problem was that I wanted to join the circus but I didn’t want to run away. How fortunate, then, that AK found out about Cirque School , where you can lea rn the trapeze arts without ever leaving L.A. She gave me a class for my birthday, which I finally redeemed last night (after reading up on it, I decided it sounded kind of hardcore, and that I needed to build up some flexibility and upper body strength before going—I’m not sure that happened, but a month passed, I was a little closer to reuniting with my left splits and I was itching to take the class). The classes are held at Absolution L.A. , a small West Hollywood studio walled with honey-colored wood and stocked with pilates machines, trapezes, a climbing wall, red vinyl chairs and other items of expensive-looking fu rn iture. It reminded me, I told AK later,
Read more

seasons of love

-
Image
Everything Cheryl does, she’s totally joking and completely serious.             --AK 2,628,000 minutes 2.6 million moments so dear 2,628,000 minutes How do you measure, measure five years? In new jobs , in boob jobs , in blog posts, in cups of coffee In coffee, more coffee, in coffee, and tea In 2,628,000 minutes How do you measure five extra years? How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love Seasons of love 2,628,000 minutes 2.6 million plans gone awry 2,628,000 minutes How do you measure public places I’ve cried ? In grants that I wrote, and novels on the side   Facebook rabbit holes are no source of pride It’s time to kiss Dashaboo Though he’s sticky with jam Let’s celebrate, remember five years Of making people deal with who I am Remember the love Remember the love Remember the love Measure in love Rent rent rent rent reeeeennnnnnt! In diapers, in houses In homies , in couples t
Read more

tops of 2023

-
Image
Recently one of my therapists (plural) told me I talk too much. Well, technically she said that while doing EMDR, she needed to interrupt my highly intellectualized storytelling more, so that we could prioritize reprocessing rather than letting me tip into re-experiencing trauma. And she said it very nicely. But a little part of me heard "You're too much for your therapist, and now you have failed," and of course that kind of thinking is why I'm in therapy. Today I listened to this episode of This American Life, in which Yousef (above, with his family), an incredibly determined, kind, and good-humored Palestinian man, talks about how his two-year-old son wants "a thousand kisses" before going to bed. He laughs and says he doesn't mind. In nearly the same breath, he says he regrets having kids, because what's the point of having children if you can't protect them? I wanted to jump through my car radio and hug him, or some other useless action, be
Read more