As my Haiku indicated, I stood on a corner with some folks and waved some No on 8 signs. I got rained on, but it wasn't too bad, and it was well worth it. I had made a few signs, but the wet weather kinda ruined them. My personal favorite was, "Is this a free country or what? No on 8!" I actually watched a guy read it while he was stuck at the light. He smiled when he got to the end of it and nodded his head. I don't know if I changed his mind one way or the other, but it was nice to see that there's somebody else who sees it the way that I do.
I had a good time, and I saw some friends there and got to talk to a few people. I didn't ask people if they were gay or not, but one guy mentioned that he was. (I mean, if you can't feel comfortable talking about whether you're gay or not at an anti-8 demonstration, where can you?) He was a cool guy, and when I left I shook his hand and wished him luck, telling him that I knew that he had a lot more riding on this than I did. He was such a cool guy, and I had a lot of fun joking around with him. That's one more reason why I'll be sad if this stupid proposition passes.
On the way there, (I was giving my friend Scott a ride - I wonder how many folks thought we were a couple?) we drove past a lot of "Yes on 8" people. I flipped them off and yelled obscenities. Was that mature? Not really. Will it change any minds? Probably not. Did it make me feel better? Yup.
Before I got ready to leave, the Yes on 8 people started to show up at our intersection. I actually tried to talk to one of them. I expected a high concentration of stupid, but this guy was just unreal. He kept doing this really lame white-boy rap, and when I finally got him to just talk to me as a person, he said that he didn't want to argue. I asked, "Why not?" I then tried to get him to explain his sign. It read "Prop 8 = Free Speech" which is probably the dumbest thing that I've ever read. I can't even begin to understand that. Do we not have free speech now, but we will when 8 passes? Anyway, I tried to get him to explain it, but then he started to do his rap again, and his friends told him to get away from me and not talk to me. Yeah, heaven forbid you might hear something other than ridiculous pro-8 propaganda.
Oh, there was also some fella who dropped a bunch of videos about the "gay agenda" on the lawn behind us and told us (quite ironically) that "knowledge is power". While part of me wanted to check it out, for a Triumph of the Will sort of curiosity about it, I just proceeded to toss them all in the trash.
Oh, and they were VHS. What the hell? I mean, I wasn't expecting Blu-Ray, but come on - who the hell watches VHS anymore? Just goes to show that they're living in the past.
6 comments:
"On the way there, (I was giving my friend Scott a ride - I wonder how many folks thought we were a couple?) we drove past a lot of "Yes on 8" people. I flipped them off and yelled obscenities. Was that mature? Not really. Will it change any minds? Probably not. Did it make me feel better? Yup."
While I admire you for standing up for what you believe in, I wonder if you might understand how that kind of behavior is counterproductive to the cause. In my opinion, many people voted Yes on 8 because they are afraid. They are afraid of gay people and believe that gay people and their friends are corrupt and immoral. They are afraid for their children to be exposed to what they perceive to be a corrupt lifestyle. I think that kind of behavior that you exibited just reinforces those fears. Plus it is just low class for an adult and expecially for a teacher. You should be a better example. Sorry.
You're right, basically. What can I say? I let emotions get the better of me - something I generally try not to do. I'm human after all. So, I won't try to excuse what I did.
"Anonymous" is right but also a douchebag. Because you have the guts to own up to your actions and errors, and he/she is too much a coward to sign his/her name.
Saying "I'm human after all. So, I won't try to excuse what I did" was you excusing yourself. Being human is not an excuse. It comes with the power and ability to be self-controlled inspite of strong "emotions".
And, thank God for that, eh?
I wasn't using it as an excuse. I was saying that sometimes I behave in ways that are contrary to my better nature. If I had to do it over again, I would behave differently. And believe it or not, I appreciate your comments because I should be called out for that.
I guess what I'm saying is that I forgive myself for it, and I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Next time, I'll do better.
I think Anonymous is leaving clues as to its identity.
I've already figured out it's Canadian.
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