God Help the Racist Nut

The world is a bit nutty right now.

I suppose it's always been nutty. It just feels a bit more desperate and dismal than normal.

There's also a whole lot of hope spreading, and I rely on that feeling whenever I'm hit with waves of panic or anxiety that we'll be subject to four more years of greed-based leadership. Seeing all the political mud slinging these days prompts me to tighten the reigns around my own belief system. It also makes me question my previously optimistic view of my fellow Americans.

I'm not totally naive. I know bigots are still out there. I guess I just hoped that this crud wasn't this deep. I guess I wanted to believe that most folks would rather hold love in their hearts than harbor such raw anger and fear.

I realized today that the divisiveness of some of this campaign, nearly wholly rooted in "the other side," has become deeply troublesome to me because of how it's impacted how I feel about others. In the last four weeks, I've seen the hate-fueled snippets on YouTube of angry mobs of extremists screaming hateful and bigoted epitaphs. I'm assuming my reaction is that of most educated people - Oh my goodness. We're doomed. If this is what lies beneath the surface of our country, we're totally and thoroughly doomed.

So I huff and puff about all this and vent to my husband about such bigoted ignorance and how we need this change and how we can't let these narrow minded racists get the better of us. We have to change the way we parent and educate as a nation so that people aren't raised to believe it's acceptable to believe such racist lies. This is all good, but I notice I'm starting to use their speech. Us vs. Them. And I realize I've fallen prey to the petty but powerful divisive strategies in this grand political theatre.

I write about all this to vent but to also admit my own shortcomings in all this. While I consciously attempt to live my life with an open heart and loving curiosity of those who are different, I'm having the darndest time finding love in my heart for the racist jerk wad screaming "Commie Fag" at a political rally. How am I supposed to offer a cup of tea to an irate women blathering on about terrorism when she has ALL of her "facts" wrong? Honestly, I don't want to associate with these folks. I don't want to know them. I don't want to hear them. And I really don't want my daughter hanging out with the likes of them.

So this is my dilemma. I want to raise Stella with an open mind. I want her to lead with her heart (and a healthy dose of brains) as she interacts with those who may appear or believe differently. I want her to willingly pursue encounters and ideas that make her uncomfortable in order to expand her experience of the world. I want her to know that she is not the center of universe, and the world is vast and rich.

But God Help the Racist Nut Who Comes Near My Child.

Yup, you heard it. Back off, all bigots. Lay off, ignorant racists! Fierce Lefty Mama Bear is here the protect the young.

Oh, I wish it were this easy.

So am I any better than the folks at these rallies? I've certainly written them off as wackos. I really think they may destroy the country. I want nothing to do with them. Hmmmm. I don't know. I think I am better. And this puts me in the awkward position of not exactly practicing what I preach. Or does it? Does moronic bigotry pretty much exempt you from the Love Train altogether? Should it? Or am I supposed to offer them a seat with even more enthusiasm because of it all? I'm going to need a whole lot of help if it's the latter.

Explaining to a child the subtle but oh-so-important difference between accepting that others may hold abhorrent (and falsely based) views and accepting those views as viable or tolerable is going to be tough. It's so tempting to try to protect Stella from all this crud. And I can right now. That's the beauty of raising a toddler. You realize that the world continues around you, in all its politically charged glory, but what matters right now is mastering the art of climbing a chair or chasing the cats with a feather duster. My job, right now, is to push her on that swing as long as she wants. We are, however, going to have to explain this world to her at some point. I'm actually confident we'll do a decent job, but this whole experience has forced me to accept that I really am quite different than those folks. We all love our kids and work hard at our jobs. But at the end of the day, I would and could never spread such hatred.

I guess that's what I want to ask these folks. Are you comfortable spreading this junk in front of your kids? If the answer is no, then they have some good ol' introspection to tackle. If the answer is yes.... I have no answer if the answer is yes. I just know I feel more and more comfortable drawing a line in the sand between me and them on this one.

I'm pretty sure my guy is going to win, and I feel elated at the thought that hope and integrity will assume their proper place in American leadership. We've missed those two buggers sorely. But to counteract the sobering nature of realizing my own helplessness as a parent, I looked to external sources for help. I know. I know. Buying a crunchy love-you-brothers-and-sisters children's book doesn't solve all the world's problems. It sure does make me feel a bit of hope though. I already love the illustrations, and the message is left-aliscious and loving.