I thought this was beautiful and had to share
BUMPER STICKER LOGIC (Isn't)
"If you're not OUTRAGED, you're not PAYING ATTENTION!"
...and I AM outraged, because I AM paying attention, so I went to the rally.
...and since I am paying attention, I saw all the patches- the bumper stickers of the bike crowd.
...and they told me to SMASH Patriarchy! Smash Capitalism! Smash Racism! Smash the State!
...and I was outraged, and I got a hammer, and I got on my bike and I rode and I was set to SMASH Patriarchy! Smash Capitalism! Smash Racism! Smash the State!
...and I went to kill my television and when I saw it realized it was never alive, and even if it was, IT never did anything to me, it's the people who make the shows that I chose to watch!
...and I went to smash capitalism, but all I could find was the products of it, because capitalism is ABOUT products, and all I could find to smash was the windows, and those just got replaced by insurance money and the photo of me smashing them did make the papers which impressed me until I realized I was now being used to sell magazines and a posterboy for more cops on the streets to defend capitalism.
...and I went to smash the state but all I could find were state workers who grumbled about their jobs but at least they had some benefits and job security which is more than could be said for the rest of the people working in for capitalists...and even if I could find a state to smash I started wondering what all these individuals would do without a state and if smashing the state was just like smashing an anthill- the ants just rebuild it because they don't know anything else.
...and I went to smash patriarchy, and while I found evidence of it everywhere, I just couldn't find the headquarters. Nobody would fess up to being a patriarch- well, not in THAT way- and instead of smashing anything I just started talking to people about sex and gender and having to explain that all those angry feminists aren't wrong so much as starting conversations with people like wanting to teach a child to read and starting with War and Peace.
...and I went to smash racism. I went to give racism the boot. But except for the Klan and others who do a better job raising awareness of the stupidity of overt racism, I realized that racism is only found in racists, and a racist is someone who in whom could be found racism. But a lot of racism isn't hatred, it's ignorance, well, sometimes it's hatred caused by ignorance. And getting mad at the ignorant is like getting mad at that kid who can't read War and Peace because nobody taught the kid what A, B and C meant...and the cure for ignorance isn't smashing it but information.
...and...and...
...and now I'm thinking about information.
...and now I'm thinking about ignorance.
...and nor I'm thinking about people perpetuating capitalism, sexism, racism, classism, ablism, anti-semitism, lookism, ismism...perpetuating them because THAT'S WHAT THEY KNOW...and they're perpetuating them, not inventing them, not thinking "Hey, you know what would help the world, inequity and stratification!" but NOT thinking of something they wouldn't think to think about.
...and I realized that there is patriarchy, but there isn't A patriarchy any more that the existence of greed means that somewhere there is THE greed. Bigotry is hatred that is real, but nowhere can I find THE hate to kill or steal or hide or smash.
...and now I still want to end capitalism, end racism, end sexism, end the state as we know it, but I want to build, not smash. I'm putting down my smashing hammer and opening up my mouth, opening up my ears, opening up my arms for a hug and opening up my mind.
I am paying attention, so I am outraged. But I won't let the outrage get stuck on rage