WARNING: Potty mouth ahead. I curse sometimes. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I am, admittedly, a cynical bastard. I don’t have a lot of use for big-letter political movements and I find the polarized nature of discourse in the US particularly loathsome. The fact that voters actually register as Democrats or Republicans (or independents) makes my stomach churn a bit.
All of that being said, I can’t help but be moved by what will might should happen tonight.
I’ve seen the brutality of racism in my life and I wasn’t even alive in the time of the Kennedy and King assassinations. If I think I’ve seen disgusting examples of bigotry in my time on Earth, I can only imagine what those of my parents’ generation have seen.
Is Obama going to fundamentally change the direction of the US in the world? Probably not. Will the sun shine more brightly tommorow? Doubtful. In the end, he is but one man – and one supported by a very traditional political machine to boot. Sure, he talks a good game on change but what electoral challenger hasn’t?
No, I don’t think his election (should it come to pass) will mark a fundamental shift in the course of human history. What it will do, though, is mark one gigantic ‘fuck you’ to racism. A ‘fuck you’ to bigotry. One big flip of the bird to the most deplorable traits of humanity.
At the risk of sounding self-righteous (and self contradictory to boot!), I hate hate. I hate racism, I hate sexism and I hate those who cast aspersions based on something as simple as the colour of one’s skin or the nature of one’s sexuality.
People dont’ choose to be black. They don’t choose to be gay. They don’t choose to be handicapped.
But bigots, racists and assholes choose to hate based on those characteristics.
If Obama wins tonight, those very same bigots, racists and assholes will be faced with the reality that their views are, in fact, in the minority. And that means far more to me than the fact that a Democrat will have claimed the White House.
There are many reasons for a right-leaning person to vote against Obama and I have nothing but respect for people who take the time to learn about issues and vote accordingly. But anyone who votes based on race (or religion, for that matter) deserves the ‘fuck you’ they should be getting tonight.