TCB
By Christopher Gray, Fri., Oct. 29, 2004
Come Together
This used to be such a cool country. Unless the subject was abortion, you could disagree with someone and still have a civil conversation. Now a good friend of "TCB" predicts actual fistfights on Election Day Tuesday, and it's hard not to agree. A recent New York Times column compared America's current polarization to the climate of the 1840s and 1850s, and we all know what happened after that. People are stressed out, nervous, and afraid, not just of another 9/11, but of losing their jobs, catching the flu, and being unable to afford retirement, health insurance, college tuition, or even gasoline. Worse, they can't even turn to music for comfort and release anymore, because music itself has become as bitter and vitriolic as the average episode of Crossfire or The O'Reilly Factor. As old "TCB" buddy Sarah Hepola wrote in the Dallas Observer last week, anti-Bush songs have gone from legitimate protest to simply being the latest pop trend, and are fast becoming self-parody. When even Sum 41 jumps on the bandwagon, that should tell you something right there. And besides, hatred is hardly something to admire, no matter who or what the target. Remember, that's how we found ourselves in this mess in the first place. The people who flew those planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon hated everything America stands for – not just our alliance with Israel, but our music and movies and fashion, the very things that define us as a nation and a society. The more combative and divisive we become, the more we lower ourselves to their level. Is that what we really want? No, if there's anything worth fighting for, it's democracy, so please refrain from taking any swings until after you've cast your ballot. If you really want to be an American, find someone who voted differently from you and buy them a beer.
