I originally grew up in California's central valley, a region otherwise known as the lifeblood of the state and much of the country on account of its fertile agriculture and livestock. The Central Valley can be a scenic place full of gorgeous open fields, that during the summers give California its namesake as the "Golden state" when the vegetation is crisp and dry. Unfortunately, one drawback to the region is its extreme conservatism. When I was a child, my parents often warned me not to be too vocal about expressing my beliefs, for fear of reprisal from conservative neanderthals. Despite adhering to these cautions as a child, it was never something I experienced first hand until today when my car was vandalized on account of an "Obama/Biden 2008" bumper sticker.
Growing up, I took those views of my parents to heart far more than I ever should have. It was only during college, during those dark years of the Bush administration that I finally realized silence was an untenable position. During that time, I saw that my silence, that my political inaction could have very real consequences on the world around me. I saw the cost of letting bloviators like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, and Michelle Malkin control our political discourse. Without opposing voices aggressively and unapologetically challenging these views, progressive gains made during the mid-20th century would only continue to whither and die.
This conviction was made all the stronger when I read Kos and Jerome's book "Crashing the Gates." The concept of the 50 State Strategy, of taking progressive views deep into the heart of traditionally hostile territory strongly resonated with me. Between the articulation of this strategy and my earlier-developed convictions, I realized that I could never again back down from what I believed and still be able to live with myself. How fitting now that I should find those sentiments put to the test back in the region where I grew up.
This week I'm away from the Bay Area, visiting family in the middle of the central valley. In the past two years, whenever I drove into the region a little chill would go down my spine, a little bit of paranoia that developed in response to wondering what might happen given the large and conspicuous "Obama/Biden" bumper sticker that was on my car. As time went on and nothing happened, this paranoia grew smaller and smaller until one trip it finally blinked out of existence. It got to the point where my parents warnings seemed foolish in retrospect.
After having been here three days, I ran around the area running all number of errands today. After my third or fourth stop I returned to my car. Something about it seemed kind of funny--seemed different. For a second I couldn't figure out exactly what it was, and then I immediately saw it.
My Obama/Biden bumper sticker had been ripped off, and whoever took it also peeled away all of the coating of paint sealant that had been beneath it.
Now, I would be lying if I didn't admit that I had half-jokingly (and half-seriously!) considered removing the sticker myself at certain times these past two years during various times when the administration has caved to conservatives. And I would also be lying if I said that the damage done was extensive and financially ruinous--it is afterall only a three inch by eight inch area.
But you know what? Fuck that. It's the principal of what happened. It was my damn car. It was my car, that some mouth-breathing teabagger damaged. And they damaged it on account of the fact that I used my own property to express my own views. The physical damage may not be extensive, but the underlying message of thuggery and intimidation, of attempting to silence a progressive voice through use of force is intolerable. It's this attempt at silencing us, of drowning out discourse through veiled threats and demagoguery that makes these teabaggers such a threat if not dealt with aggressively and early. Now, granted, I didn't actively see who did it. So it is entirely possible that the culprit is some overzealous progressive who has been equally disheartened by the administration at times. But given the political makeup of this area, I wouldn't put betting money on it.
After discovering this, my thoughts immediately went back to the words of my parents from when I was a child. But even in light of this incident, those words continue to ring hollow. If anything, the fact that pockets of the country like this exist--pockets where the right wing echo chamber is so strong that people think nothing of vandalizing their neighbors' property on account of that person's beliefs--are precisely why we must not only speak up in traditionally conservative regions, but actively and aggressively challenge those views whenever and wherever they are asserted. We can not let teabaggers go unchallenged, or wring our hands in fear over the unreasoning anger often captured in videos of their rallies. Those of us with ties to regions that are conservative hotbeds bear an even greater burden, but its one that we must face for the sake of this country and for the sake of our beliefs.
So from now on I'll think back to the jackass who damaged my car every time I hear a conservative whine that we're "taking over" their country. I'll think of someone veering out of their path to steal and destroy my bumper sticker whenever we're accused of being "oppressive and tyrannical." Whenever I hear the canard about "liberal intellectuals and media" trying to drown out conservative voices, I'll think of the mother fucker so spasming with rage and political impotence that he felt he had to shut me up.
But in the meantime, once I get back to the Bay I'm going to try and find a sticker from the campaign season to put it right back where it belonged on my car. Hell, maybe I'll plaster the whole rear bumper. Try and silence me, will you?