Willfully Ignorant

If you want to give yourself a bleeding ulcer, discuss politics with your co-workers. I do my best to avoid such discussions. I actually find that the very word “discussion” is a misnomer, in this particular situation. We have all heard the saying, “never discuss politics or religion *insert situation here*”. Why, then do I constantly have to be barraged with ignorance in the workplace? A day does not go by where there is not a backhanded comment made about our president or the current state of our country. I will give you the most recent example. There were seven of us sitting around a table, and the most ignorant among us spoke first. He stated, “Hey, *other ignorant co-worker* did you see the cartoon hanging by the time clock this morning? It said One Big Ass Mistake America. HAHAHAHAHA”. Now, for those of you who are too intelligent to see the humor there, it is an acronym for Obama. Funny, huh?

Ignorant moron number one had to then explain why that was funny to ignorant moron number two. The reason is obvious. It is a visual attempt at wit and humor. Without the highlighting and capitalization of the first letter of each word, the other simpleton could not understand the concept. Following the blank stare from moron number two, ignorant fool number one said, “Get it? O B A M A, Obama. One Big Ass Mistake America, it spells Obama.” (I am still not sure what the comma that should precede the word “America” would symbolize there. Oh, no matter, they don’t even know that there SHOULD be a comma there. That would just complicate things for them.) At this point, the second fool got it. He laughed in the usual buffoon way, and replied, “There should be another one with Obama holding his hand out and saying “Can I borrow another three trillion dollars?” This was hysterical to the original Neanderthal.

At this point, I was already up, and out of my chair and headed for the door. Unfortunately, the filter that is between my brain and my mouth has a hole in it, and this slipped out, “Oh yes, you mean to pay for the war that YOUR president started?” Now, I have to explain the use of the term, ‘your president’. These ignorant fools have repeatedly stated that Barack Obama is NOT their president. I can only assume that George Bush was. I don’t know why they feel the need to disassociate with the man who is commander in chief. After all, it is the Republican party who has shoved down our throats for years that not supporting your president is “un-American”. I guess that only applies to those who oppose them. (I bet there is another reason, see if you can pick up on it as this progresses.)

The response from buffoon number two was one that I was not expecting. It was so over-simplified and incoherent that I was, again, stopped in my tracks. He stated with self assuredness, “Well, we were attacked first.” I was stunned, but managed to gather it together long enough to state the following, “Really? By Iraq? Gee, I must have missed that headline.” Now, let’s take a moment and really look at that exchange. The original contention was that Barack Obama is spending money that must be perceived as unnecessary, hence the overstatement of the amount of money. I reminded them that we have a war that was started by the prior president (their president) to pay for. The response was then given to justify the initiation of that war, therefore justifying the need to spend the money. Basically, he shot his own position in the ass. He did not, and still does not realize that.

Is your head hurting yet? Mine was. Now, here is where it turns ugly. The original buffoon’s response to my statement about Iraq was, “What difference does it make, they are all the same.” Oh holy hell. As the second moron is vigorously nodding his empty skull in agreement, I blurted out, in my best ignorant hick voice, “Y’all know it! One dead sand nigger is as good as another, ain't that right, y’all?” They both laughed and said, “Now, you’re getting it! That’s right!”

Here is the point when I had to simply leave the room, and take a deep breath. I wondered to myself, for hours how these people can be this hateful and willfully ignorant. You see, I knew from the beginning of this exchange that the issue with Barack Obama has little or nothing to do with the current state of our country, and everything to do with his race and party affiliation. This man has been in office for eight months, and they have already deemed him to be a mistake. I wonder how they have such vast powers of prognostication to make such a jump in rational thought. That is the problem. Rational thought does not exist in their reality. The only thing that matters to them is that their team lost. They actually want to see a failure of this administration, just so that they can claim righteousness. So, they do what the Republican shock jockeys have taught them. You simply make a willfully ignorant and untrue statement over and over again, and eventually it becomes truth and reality to those who want to believe it.

What a sad state of existence that must be. I voted and campaigned for Barack Obama. That is the very reason that I will be watching him, and his administration very closely. It is our duty and our right to question our leadership. It is also our duty to speak out when the people that we hired are not doing their job. I will not blindly follow a leader simply because I bought his eloquent campaign speeches. I want to see results, and if I do not, I will speak out. I am, however, realistic and realize that he cannot make big changes over night. He may not be able to make big changes at all. Barack Obama is merely a figurehead. He has very limited power, and has many voices that he must listen to and appease. He is not a dictator, people. He is one man of many who will make the decisions that will either improve or harm our nation.

It is an oversimplified thought process that brings people to see him as the singular problem with our leadership. It is that simplification that the trouble makers count on. They have used word association in regard to the man’s name, and his “questionable origin of birth” to stir the pot and to divide our nation. Yet, people blindly follow their indoctrination out of their own need to justify their blind hatred of a man based on his color. I am not one for pulling the “race card”, but you would have to be equally willfully ignorant to not see that in our country right now. The most shocking thing, for me, in regard to Obama’s rise to power is that they don’t realize how much they did to enable his ascension. The GOP slapped every American in the face with their choice of candidates, the structure of their campaign, and even the very slogan that represented their platform. I will not drone endlessly on about the failures of Senator Mccain and Governor Palin. We know what they are, and those who don’t, never will. This is a classic case of biting the hand that feeds you. When you appeal only to the base of your supporters, you better make sure that your base is the majority. It was not. You lost. Let it go. Barack Obama is our president now. You can hate him. You can sit around your pool table with your beer buddies and run his name into the ground while spouting racial slurs and blind ignorance. But, for the love of your god, would you PLEASE at least educate yourselves long enough to at least come up with a more intelligent way of communicating your ideas. The same old rhetoric is getting tired. The world is passing you by as you wallow in your backwards thinking and deep rooted hatred. Oh, by the way, I will give you an example of how intellect and education can benefit one who is trying to make a point with word association. Palin is the Greek word for “backward”. Now, I ask you, why would you follow someone who, not only has a backward thought process, but whose very name denotes the direction of your party? Read it again, think about it, use Google if you have to. I will be here and waiting on the edge of my seat for your well thought out retort.

People, you have at least three more years to come up with something a little more concrete than using the man’s name to prove that he is ruining our country. He is human. He will make mistakes. If you pull your head out of your ass long enough to think for yourselves, you may be shocked at the reality that becomes visible. You may be able to find fault with his actions, and the actions of his administration. You may be able to avoid broad prognostications of what a failure he is, and is going to continue to be. You may actually be able to analyze the facts for what they are, and not what you are told to believe. Through that process, you may be able to make improvements on his mistakes and restore honor and dignity to the party that you so loyally follow.

Or you can continue to drown yourself in Fox News and be brainwashed sheep. The choice is yours. Just don’t come crying to me about how MY president has ruined YOUR country. Your ignorance, and the ignorance of your party was just the boost that he needed. For that, I thank you. Your god knows, I wouldn’t want “Backwards”, and “Son of the first murderer” (according to your book of fantasy) to take my country into the future. Go ahead, look it up.