Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Comment bag
SKR writes, in response to my "Courage" post below:
I appreciate the comment and think it deserves a response. What do others think?
posted by Blicero : 3/15/2005 02:15:00 PM
You are right that the girl's mouth is a black hole of hate. But for goodness sake, it is not the heart of the contemporary Republican party. Surely there are Republicans out there today who are vile and hateful, but to suggest that such hatred represents the essence of the party is absolutely irresponsible. I was born in suburban Chicago in 1977, 20 years after this photo was taken. I was raised to believe in racial equality and revere civil rights leaders. If anything, I was raised to hate what the girl in this picture represents. In my twenties I have come to identify myself as a libertarian member of the GOP because I believe in limited government. And let me tell you, a belief in limiting the influence of government *in the economic sphere* is the only thing holding the Republican party together right now. If anything represents the essence of the party, it is this belief, and NOT virulent hatred. I resent being lumped together with those members of the party, and I find it incredibly sad when people do so because it both represents and fosters a total lack of understanding between decent people like you and I whose goals for society are very similar but whose idease for how to achieve those goals are very different. So please, for the love of god, try to be a little more nuanced in your characterization of an entire political party. And sorry to rant at such great length.
I appreciate the comment and think it deserves a response. What do others think?
posted by Blicero : 3/15/2005 02:15:00 PM
