If Democrats had any brains....

Now, when I walk into my dad's office, I see a number of newly-purchased books lining his bookshelf. Among them are Liberal Fascism, Because They Hate, Godless by Ann Coulter, and her new book If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans. Somewhat bewildered, I examined this new Coulter creation. I had already attempted to read Godless, telling myself I would attempt to keep an open mind and listen to her point of view. However, I only got halfway through the first chapter before I felt degraded by its overwhelming negativity and hatefulness. Her arguments were weak, her appeals were emotional and not rational, and every page was lined with statements that I simply cannot and would never want to agree with.

My dad takes in a hefty dose of similar opinions each day, beginning with Laura Ingram, proceeding to Rush Limbaugh, on to Sean Hannity, and finally to some nice bedtime stories with Ann C. I am often saddened by the effect this has had on my dad. He will mutter angry words about people sometimes, calling them (especially gays ;)) "scumbags" and "maggots"--all taken from Limbaugh's rhetoric. Just today I heard beloved Rush say in a very nasty tone that the problem with "liberals" is that they are never satisfied, they never have enough. He proclaimed that America is doing just fine and that President Bush is the man for the job.

When I hear people demonizing liberals like that, I think of my friends, many if not most of whom are self-identified liberals. Somehow, in them I see what it truly means to be passionate about life, to care for others no matter what, to think deeply and examine issues before taking a stand. They represent the most cherished qualities we find in humanity, yet those whose opinions my dad feasts on would condemn their aspirations and beliefs as silly, godless, and irrational. How sad.

I recently changed my political views on Facebook to "liberal." Usually, I eschew labels except when they prove useful in representing the idea or identity I want them to. I do identify as "gay" because that represents in large measure how I feel and how I am, though I strongly reject adherence to stereotypes for stereotypes' sake. In a similar way, I have labeled myself "liberal" on Facebook. This does not mean that I accept all "liberal doctrines" (as Ann C. calls them) but that it most closely represents my views on social and political issues. I know how my parents feel about different issues because we have discussed them openly all my life, yet my experience has informed my views, and because my experience has been/is different, my views are, too.

Whenever I talk about this, I hear the "tolerance paradox" echoing in the back of my head. The argument that liberals focus on being tolerant while they are intolerant of conservative views. I hope I don't do that. I want to be open and at least listen to what others have to say, even when I strongly disagree. Even now, I remain "conservative" on some issues, and in any case, Utah and American politics is highly skewed to the right anyway, so in Europe I would most likely be seen as a far right fanatic.

Just some thoughts from today. :)

Excuse the emoticons.