Gay Place

INCLUEXCLUSIVITY It's easy to scoff and snigger at the bald-faced bravado of "pro-American" Sarah Palin. It's easy to feel superior when wing nuts like Minnesota's Michele Bachmann call for McCarthyist investigations to determine anti-American members of Congress. Ha-ha. Tut-tut. Aren't we smarter than they are? Aren't we wise and open-hearted and inclusive? I dunno. The fractious nature of factional politics is directly related to philosophies and strategies employed by marketing divisions and advertising agencies: Divide people up into small areas of interest/association and attack. Or in the case of the free market, target their dollar. When it's about creating an image for BMW or selling books on Amazon with those "If you liked that, you'll like this" ploys, so many of us willingly rationalize it as innocent. What's the big deal? But applied to daily life, its nefarious nature comes to light. We do it here, even in purportedly egalitarian Austin, within the so-called "community" of LGBT (acronymically ironic in its attempt at inclusivity). Make more than $200,000 per annum? Read this mag! Wear the duds of this designer? Go to this club instead of that one. Your skin is this color? Come buy a condo in our neighborhood! Are you an influential? Come to our event, and be seen! Is this really what we've become? I have no point here. Just existential crisis. Go early vote, okay?

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