Monthly Archives: December, 2011

So this is Christmas

By Alice on December 15, 2011 | 3 Comments

And what have you done? With all my cynicism, sarcasm, and general nastiness, this song still gets to me. The combination of the simple melody, the children’s choir, and the basic message of love and peace fit together nicely. I heard this song on the radio yesterday while feeling sorry for myself (this happens often – the feeling sorry for myself, not the song playing, although my station has evilly decided to play Christmas music, and only Christmas music, from Thanksgiving on through Christmas Day until someone, maybe even Santa himself, goes and shoots up the station.) But I’m digressing.

Eenie, Meenie, Minie . . .

War is over . . . if you want it. How simple is that? Of course it is sung by children, too innocent to realize that war is what grownups do best. And it isn’t just war with other countries, but war within our own country. Black vs. white, rich vs. poor, men vs. women, Christians vs. Islamics, Republicans vs. Democrats, SAHMs vs. working moms, politicians vs. normal people, etc. There has to be a bad guy, someone for us to hate, someone for us to take out all the world’s problems on. And no, I’m not saying everyone should join hands on a hill and celebrate diversity and tooth decay with a coke. Obviously we do have differences. For instance, Democrats and good and Republicans are evil. That’s a difference. Haha, I kid the Republicans! Please put down your weapons!

You have to wonder just what’s
in that coke they’re drinking

Seriously, we do have more alike than we do different. We all have hearts, brains (well I’m pretty sure), lungs, livers, and most importantly, pocketbooks. As Clinton’s genius campaign slogan said, “It’s the economy, stupid.” It’s not abortion, gay marriage, gun control, prayer in school, global warming, or any of the host of other fringe issues that the politicians often distract us with. For most Americans, these issues do not affect us, at least not on a day to day basis. Sure, I do not like weapons (remember that Republicans, I am NOT armed), but I highly doubt that even the NRA will manage to get assault weapons in the hands of every drug dealer and irritated high school student in the next few months (though they might try). Also, the polar ice caps will not completely melt and drown us all in penguins in the immediate future either. In the near future I will, however, have to pay my bills, whether they be grocery, medical, electricity, or any of other basic need.

Maslow’s hierachy applied to the Internet

And that’s the point. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs says that we must first satisfy our basic needs before worrying about ideals. You can’t go march for the rights of fetuses if you can’t feed your own fetus, in other words. Most Americans are not either in the richest 1 percent with no worries, or the poorest percent that actually qualify for the aid programs. We are somewhere in the middle – too rich for Medicaid and Food Stamps, too poor for actually affording food and medical care otherwise. Average Americans with jobs can’t afford to both take Jimmy to the doctor and feed him at the same time. That’s pathetic. What’s just as bad is that those who can afford to do these things, and I count myself among them, barely, are only one lay-off away from the same situation. And lay-offs are big now with us trying to balance all our budgets, including the one in Washington.

So then we have something we can agree on. Economy sucks. Let’s fix it. Democrats and Republicans, black and white, Islamic and Christian – we all need money. There is no magic coke mountain to take away our problems (well, maybe a powdery one, but that only takes it away temporarily). So here’s a crazy idea. How about if our people down in Washington quit pointing fingers and saying “I know you are, but what am I?” and started actually trying to – I dunno – compromise? Don’t we tell our kids to do that? So why can’t we? Why can’t we agree that there’s no reason that a country like ours can’t take care of its own people? And I mean all people – not just the rich, not just the poor, but all of us. Let’s work on America before we go off on any more crusades in the Middle East. Let us put the oxygen masks on our own faces first. That is not selfish, it is sensible. We can’t help others if we’re brain dead.

And so this is Christmas. Let’s stop all the fight. A very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Let’s hope it’s a good one, without any fear.