I’m back from a week with my family at the Lake. I feel like I am officially caught up after not seeing them for two years during the pandemic.—I’ve seen my parents more in the past six months than I have so far this decade. No wonder my head is spinning.
I don’t know why I let them do this to me.
***
They aren’t doing anything to you, Cha. You know that now. This is on you, girl. This is your sh*t to figure out.
Judgementalsteins are gonna judge. That’s what they do. But that doesn’t mean they are always right.
You do you, Cha Cha. This is what this is all about.
***
I’m pretty sure they think that I’m a racist. To be fair, I say racey things. Like ‘Keep your laws off my body’ works both ways. They hate that I’m not vaccinated. They suspect that I’m not a Democrat.
I’m not a Democrat. But that doesn’t mean I’m a Republican. In fact, I’m not really into traditional labels…
Doesn’t it seem strange that when it comes to the science of gender, we’re willing to ignore the binary rule, but when it comes to the philosophy of politics, we insist: you’re either one or the Other?
I think that everyone is too scared for nuance. You know, like a subconscious tendency toward strength in numbers. The stakes are too high. We’ve gotta win! The Other is too dangerous.
Vote Blue no matter who.—Hey, that rhymes! Jimmy, order up some swag. I’m talkin’ bumper stickers, t-shirts, trucker hats, and pins: ‘Vote Blue no matter who!’
My mother’s gotta Vote Blue no matter who! pin on her jean jacket. My dad has a ‘Vote Blue no matter who!’ bumper sticker affixed to his Chevy Volt (or does that one say ‘I’m with HER’?).
**
Excuse me… ‘Vote Blue’ who now?—They are saying the quiet part out loud: The people don’t matter. This is a color war.
*
B-U-L-E we’re gonna kick your butts you see.
We’re Blue. Hey, hey.
We’re Blue. Woo!
–
Our team is Red hot. Our team is Red hot.
Our team is R-E-D. Red. H-O-T. Hot.
Once we start, we can’t be stopped.
Red hot. Yeah, yeah, Red hot.
*
My favorite color is purple.
***
It’s fun to push my family’s buttons. I like that I make them nervous because I dare to think for myself. But it also makes me sad. Like a lot of things in life, it’s complicated.
