I've been on DailyKos a long time. Back before we even had diaries. Back when our biggest celebrity was
AWhitneyBrown and everyone thought it was soooo cool he'd become a kossack (sorry dude, I still think it's cool). Back when not a single congressperson would DREAM of associating with us "radical liberals" much less post diaries themselves addressing us personally. We've come a long way. And few are the times when I feel the need to burst forth in raging expletives and never did I think I would have to direct it to the community that has been a daily part of my life for over 3 years.
But I'm PISSED as hell and I can't hold it back anymore.
I don't have to go very far to get dowsed in the latest hate screed. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, [shutter] Bill O'Reilly, there are people standing in line just waiting to scream at me and tell me I hate my country, that I'm a traitor, that I have a mental illness, that I am a baby killer, the list goes on and on. I find them utterly distasteful. Some are plain CREEPY. And I would probably cross the street or run in the opposite direction to avoid them if I found myself in close proximity.
So I come to DailyKos, trying to find some sanity in the burning jungles of politics. And every now and again I find it. But often I hear how Neo-cons hate their country, that Karl Rove is a traitor, that George Bush is a sociopath, that they are baby killers and well...the list goes on. I usually ignore it. I shake my head and feel a moment's pity for another victim of hate. But let me take a moment and address the truly zealous among you and say:
Who the fuck do you think you are? And what the fuck makes you any better than them?
I HATE what the neocons have done to my country. I hate their policies. I hate their lies. I hate their utter contempt for Americans and for the rule of law. But I have never, ever EVER hated a single person in my life. Left, right, or otherwise. I don't hate George Bush. I don't hate Karl Rove. I don't hate Tom Delay. You know why? because I don't FUCKING KNOW THEM! I don't like them and I find them disgusting, but I don't know what inner turmoils stir in their hearts. I don't presume to judge them soulless devils or without conscience.
I remember a while back (somewhere around 04 elections) I read a diary here from someone who claimed to be a "Psychiatrist" who wrote a very lengthy article claiming George Bush was a sociopath. He'd never met the man, he was just going off his public statements and his video footage. At the time I didn't think much of it. But I am reminded of that diary and something about it sounds...familiar. A different doctor, a different subject, diagnosis over video, claims that being a doctor gives him the power to tell if someone is lying by their body language. Hmm...who could that be? Bill Frist did not write a diary on DailyKos and yet his spirit lives within our hallowed halls.
It just fucking chaps my ass when hear people presume to know what is in someone else's mind. What evils dwells in someone else's heart. I am not God. It is not my job to judge ANYONE. And I'm fucking sick and tired of hearing screed about Laura Bush! Attacking wives wasn't cool when they did it to McCain. It wasn't cool when they did it to Kerry or Dean, it's not cool when we do it either.
And I can just hear you wailing "But, they started it!" Yeah? Well you don't have to hurt yourself RACING to abandon your principles to be like them now do you? If I have to become a bitter, hateful BITCH for democrats to win then quite frankly we are all fucked. I've spent my whole life trying to keep an open mind and not presuming the absolute worst in people. I have spent my whole life embracing humility as a virtue (Gotta love Ultima games) that I don't feel the need to cloak myself in prideful arrogance.
Now, if you've read this far without hitting the "reply" button to tell me what a fascist freeper troll I am, I'm glad. because the most important part is yet to come. This is where I explain WHY this is bad.
- Hate is bad for the heart - I'm sure I could find plenty of documentation that shows that dwelling on hate causes increased risk for heart attack or stroke. But that's not the heart I'm talking about. I'm talking about your emotional core. Hate is like a fire left to burn in the majestic forests of your soul. It consumes everything beautiful and splendid in you and leaves nothing but caustic ash. You might be angry, and you have every right to be, but please don't give in to the hate. Ann Coulter is dead inside. Everything that was once beautiful and pure in her lay wasted by her hate. Don't be like her.
- Hate is bad for the mind - I have pretty strong opinions, but something I have always tried to do was add at the end "but I'll be happy to be proven wrong". Because I don't presume to know everything, I don't feel personally threatened when new facts contradict my opinions. In Science you have a hypothesis and sometimes the facts that come up in an experiment don't fit the hypothesis, so you change the hypothesis to match the fact. Now I know this administration seems awfully keen on changing facts to fit their theories, but I have seen plenty of that here as well. Being pro-life doesn't automatically make you a hypocrite. Being pro-war doesn't automatically mean you delight in the killing of innocent civilians. And being pro-business doesn't automatically mean you are against the working class. In politics as in life, what you don't know can be bad, but what you THINK you know can be 100 times worse. And half-truths make the best lies, especially when you are lying to yourself.
So please, I implore you, when you feel that urge to float Dubbya's face in your toilet bowl, when you feel that urge to refer to Laura Bush as a murderer, when you feel that urge call your local republican representative a traitor, take a moment, take a deep breath, and ask yourself if it's worth it.
Because if you think it's okay to hate like they do, don't be surprised when you become as bad and corrupted as they are.
For me, I prefer the view from the highroad. The air is cleaner and the mind is peaceful.
But thank you for listening. I had to get that off my chest.