Doesn’t seem like there’s much to laugh about these days…but a little David Cross goes a long way. I love that man so much. Not the swooning sort of love, but more like the “this planet is a better place with that motherfucker on it” kind of love. It just occurred to me that I should have placed his album, Shut Up You F*cking Baby!, on my top ten list (it came out end of 2002, but I didn’t hear it until 2003) even though it’s technically not “the rock”. This is on my mind now, after having glanced over at the husband’s monitor to see he was reading an alternet interview with the man. Rather than reading over his shoulder, I pulled up my own copy. The interview reminded me that I love him not just for his humor, but just as much for his politics. When asked about low voter turnout among eligible, younger people he said:
“It’s pretty galling that I know people will wait in line for a weekend to see a f*ckin’ movie that’s gonna be there for three months, but won’t wait in line for 12 minutes to vote.”
I was already apprehensive about the election that’s right around the corner, and thoroughly frightened by the prospect of another four years with G.W. Like Mr. Cross, and many others, I’m resigned to giving up on the Green Party this go around…to vote for the Democratic candidate, whoever it ends up being. Stories like Melanie’s (of her brother’s harrowing journey through the South with a Dean bumper sticker on his car) scare me, and serve to highlight how spooky the situation has become in her neck of the woods…and the rest of the country.
“If my brother’s experience is any indication, things are going to get much worse before they get better. This president exploits the basest instincts of his basest supporters and by doing so, is playing with fire. In recent months I’ve noticed a disturbing trend as each success in Iraq has been accompanied by an increase in hostility toward progressives here at home. It’s a similar dynamic that drives rabid sports fans to rampage against their fellow citizens after ‘their’ team wins.”
At no other time in my adult life have I seen such political polarization in this country, or the culture wars rage on so unabated. Can’t we all just get along? Maybe it would help matters if David Cross ran for office. He would like to “urge people to help create an atmosphere where they don’t see this complete ideological divide”. Then again, he’d like to be “the mayor of the United States, it’s a position I would invent and run for, and it would be honorary. And there would be a parade every three days and I would outlaw bananas and soy.”
I eat an awful lot of soy products…but it would be for the greater good of the republic.