I went back and read my blog from the very beginning to see when and how the politicizing started. The answer comforted me: I started my blog around the time Obama was running for the U.S. President and Sarah Palin just came on the scene. So it has been doing the job it was meant to: a place for me to vent my frustrations and a platform for me to say out loud my half-baked ideas and thoughts. I did not suddenly jump on the liberal bandwagon because it was cool or because I developed some sort of crush on Rachel Maddow. I have started composing an essay explaining why all of a sudden I have become such a gay-loving liberal hate-monger. I have also started writing about WHAT’S WRONG WITH FOX NETWORK because Mr. Monk, by coincidence, asked in a frustrated tone, “What is so bad about FOX News?”
I am now immobilized by the fear that I may be pushing these people to the other side simply because I am being rabid. I would have, out of spite, if I felt I were being forced to take on a certain perspective; I am a bitch like that.
All this agonizing, I am afraid, will probably not see the light of day because I can see the criticism on FOX NEWS easily perceived as a personal attack on its viewers. And, raise your hand if there is someone from the older generation in your family who watches FOX News exclusively? Raise both hands if that someone happens to be your mom or dad? Yeah, that’s what I thought…
And if I am seeing ALL THIS TEA-PARTY MESS as more than simply “Politics as usual” which many people would brush aside by saying either “I am not political” or “I don’t care about politics” but rather as a all-too-real assault on what this country stands for, NOT discussing “politics” I am afraid may create a chasm, and yet, discussing “politics” may also create a chasm.
I want to know where you stand and yet I am afraid to find out.
Angry Birds came to the rescue.
Great for people with anger management issues. And also for people with avoidance tendency.
The descent to madness was rapid: I “discovered” it (as one of the LAME VERY LAST Adopters) on January 3rd and I have not been able to STOP thinking about the game, wanting to play the game, hearing the music, the chirping and the snorting, and seeing the birds hitting all sorts of obstacles even with my eyes closed.
There is a reason why I never try any illegal substance. Mine is the obsessive, addiction-prone personality.
10 signs I am far-flung addicted to Angry Birds:
10. I skipped at least three meals and stayed up until 3 am because I needed to BEAT a level.
9. I YouTubed tutorials on how to beat individual levels. Normal for my 12-year-old, not normal for a 40-year-old woman.
8. My oldest shook his head at me and sighed. But I think he is just jealous because I am getting higher scores than his old ones.
7. I told my youngest that I have gone through the whole being a kid crap and I have paid my due, therefore I get to play the game whereas he had to go to bed.
6. At Mr. Monk’s TKD class, a kid saw what I was doing, “Ooooo. ANGRY BIRDS!” “Yeah. I am addicted. Don’t tell anybody.” “Ok.” He said, sympathetically.
5. In the total silence, I can still hear the chirping and the occasional snorting from the pigs, and the DARNED theme music.
4. I am so into it that my body tenses up when I am swiping my finger to fling the birds. The muscles in my neck, shoulders and legs are sore from all the tensing up. Seriously, WTF?
3. I cannot stop moving my body along the imaginary trajectory of the bird being flung by the sling shot. It’s not like I need my new addiction to be even more embarrassing and conspicuous…
2. I did not bother to get coffee from Starbucks at the train station because I was too occupied.
1. When I was reading my last post after I hit the publish button, I noticed that all the lines of words were tilted. I then realized that I was imagining the lines to be tilted, and the letters to be toppled. This was a new low and it is kind of difficult to explain:
I was seeing the lined-up words as lined-up pigs and wood/concrete planks. And I had this immense desire to sling something into the midst of these words to smash them into pieces, like so:
.
.
Yes. Please send help.
If I go back to my first blog (2004) and read the political posts there I can tell you that one thing is very clear- both “sides” were pointing fingers at each other then. None of this political posturing is new and frankly if we look back on US history it is replete with examples of bad behavior.
It sucks. Some people get so caught up in their beliefs that they can’t accept that the other side might be right about something.
Jack recently posted…Friday Morning Music- What We Read-Listened To
I used to NOT care about politics because I KNOW it is a NORM, unfortunately, for politicians to behave badly. (Hey, I came from Taiwan after all. I am sure you have seen how our congress behaves on YouTube!) What I cannot stand is an entire news network claiming to be reporting news/fact when in fact it is laced with opinions and often rightout lies.
I’m not allowed (by me) to play games like angry birds. Addiction is to strong and sleep to hard to come by.
But politics, well, politics are a truth that you speak well. I’m a bit cowardly about my own politics. Maybe I can rephrase that. I’m quiet, but firmly liberal. And I can’t even watch the local fox news, its so slanted.
Kate recently posted…Teeth and choices
Fox “News” and the Teabaggers should radicalize you.
But I’m confused – do the angry birds attack pigs? Because that’s a little horrifying.
secret agent woman recently posted…Looks like its going to be a long winter
I don’t do Angry Birds, but I am hopelessly addicted to many video games, mostly the ones that deal with problem solving and spatial relations, like Tetris. And as far as getting rabid and angry over politics, the 2008 election got me on that freight train, missy, so you’re not alone. Mere months before that, if you had told me I’d be going door-to-door campaigning for a candidate I would have laughed. I guess it’s different when you’re right and you KNOW you’re right. 🙂
Diane Laney Fitzpatrick recently posted…Hey Christmas I Will Take You Down
Ma’am, I love your site! Just followed a link from Ms. Peachy One and am so glad I did!
About those who claim to not follow politics… If ignorance were truly bliss, they’d be a lot happier, right?
Those who claim to be politically aware yet get their news from Faux might as well ask the Pope for sexual advice or Reader’s Digest for progressive ideas. It’s right wing radio’s evil video twin, and just as dangerous for Democracy as for the idiots who tune in every night to watch things being spun relentlessly to the right. In the words of John Stuart Mill: “While it is not true that all conservatives are stupid, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.”
I’m adding your blog to my “signs of intelligent life” just as soon as I get home from wherever I am, hope you’ll drop by and visit!
I tend not to read political postings when there is venom or animosity in them. I lean right on the political spectrum for certain topics and I lean left for other topics. I may agree with you on certain topics and disagree with others but when venom is used I don’t like it. I also do not like when people disguise venom or hate as “passion”.
I do not care how passionate one is about something…Lennie from of Mice and Men was passionate about touching the rabbits and would end up killing them…and I think political rants done with venom and passion are like killing the soft bunnies.
Has there ever been a time in human history when people were so utterly ignorant? Maybe the Dark Ages? Except back then they were distracted by bubonic plague and rats eating their young and the fact that they hadn’t had a bath for a few years, so maybe they didn’t care about much else. We have countless ways to access information now, and we have sunk to the lowest common denominator. Your rants are understandable and hilarious and brilliant. And as much as is written about the truth about Fox Noose (I just made that up and I don’t care if it’s stupid), it will remain the crack cocaine for the depleted gene pool of the country. I have nothing to say about Angry Birds, except that we should start a new party called Angry Birds to go head-to-head with the Tea Party.
Renee Fisher recently posted…My “2010 Year in Blogging”
didn’t sound ranty at all but I’m wondering if your a bird in a flock from Alabama, that could hurt, or not.
linlah recently posted…slater or sand or both
I like the political ranting. I also like Angry Birds. And yes, it makes me tense up all over, and grind my teeth. It can’t be good for you.
magpie recently posted…Dust of Snow
Darling, Fox News is to actual news what Cheez Whiz is to actual cheese – horrible, tasteless and relly shouldn’t ever be used ever.
I’m relieved when I read your politics because I have been losing faith in my home country for a while now – begining to believe what the rest of the world thinks about Americans (ill-informed, uneducated, isolationist bible beaters who love guns and hate gays).
You help me to keep the faith, young one.
You and John Stewart of course.
Also, confession:
Wait…come closer.
I’ve never even SEEN angry birds.
…
Shit. Someone get her a glas of water!
– B x
The Barreness recently posted…Something just had to be done
You……and MY MOTHER! I must admit it is VERY addicting…..but I like the face rearranging app better:)
Politics. I consider you the voice in my head…saying it all better than I could….keep at it:)
When I play angry birds I get upset because of how long it takes to crush the green pigs.
Then my kids become exsasperated and show me how it’s done.
NEVER stop talking about politics or how you feel about something! I love reading what you write.
I think living in Washington for so long makes you a little jaded but then again you get to see all the great stuff that people in office can sometimes do!
dufmanno recently posted…Minivan In Flames
*weighing the addictions* illegal substances v. angry birds. ok, i’ll stick with illegal substances.
also keep those fiery words coming – you always put what i’m thinking into words exactly the way i’d like to if i only i could express myself with a modicum of intelligence.
pattypunker recently posted…pussy galore
Note to self: do not ever try angry birds.
Elly Lou recently posted…In Review
Our son gave my husband an iPhone for his birthday. Now, Husband is about as un-savvy as one can be about all things electronic. Yet when I borrowed his phone recently, there was Angry Birds. One of the grandsons had added it.
NYT ran a front-page article about Angry Birds’ popularity. Apparently you’re sitting on the wires with a lot of angry chirpers.
Hope you’re not even contemplating backing off the political opinions. It’s only a matter of time before The Daily Show staff starts using you as a source.
Mary Lee recently posted…Close Encounters of a Sewer Kind
Although I live with a gamer, games just don’t appeal to me, but I have to admit, Angry Birds did catch my attention and I did indulge a few times. My Guy was preoccupied with it awhile back and the chirping was all I could hear around the house. I don’t blame you – it’s a great game.
Justine recently posted…Holiday Highlights
Pretending that Fox News has anything whatsoever to do with real news is so utterly delusional. I stopped watching television news about six years ago or more mostly due to what I was seeing on Fox News back then. I didn’t watch it exclusively and I did find news around the world online back then and decided I just had no more strength to puke up what I was being fed on television. I use my own brain and have not been part of the herd wandering aimlessly waiting for the next direction, directive, deception, cover-up.
TechnoBabe recently posted…Splash
Angry Birds is indeed good medicine for the angry-spirited. And let’s face it–who isn’t bitter in times like these?
I love your political writings! I’m using the word LOVE here! You write with passion and intelligence. I’m always relieved that you are saying what’s on your mind about political issues, and I’m relieved that so often it’s also what’s on my mind (and I’m too lame to write about it). Actually, one of my sister’s won’t read my blog because we do not share political views. Yep. She’s a member of the religious right, and she believes liberals support desecration of the family and death to children and the elderly and all kinds of horrible stuff. And yet she knows me, she knows I’m all about my family, she knows I have a kind heart — but she still thinks those things of me. Honestly, if you attack her politics, you are attacking HER at her very essence. So no, we don’t talk politics much there. It’s just ugliness.
So, since you and I lean the same way (also with the f*@&ing Angry Birds), I hearby adopt you as my sister. The end. Please bring a pie for Thanksgiving.
Andrea recently posted…The Game
To Andrea: I don’t discuss politics with my brother either…I found out a few years ago that he was a “Dubya” fan (our family left the U.S. and moved to Canada in 1969 because of Nixon and the Vietnam War!). To say that my dad was shocked and horrified is an understatement!
To Lin: I love that you discuss politics in your blog…I stay away from it, because I’m a big chicken! I agree with Renée that political awareness is at an all-time low in the U.S.
My kids got iPods for Christmas, and my 16-year-old is addicted to Angry Birds…I’m afraid to play it because I’m addicted to several other online games!
Wendy
writerwoman61 recently posted…We’re Taking Back Our House- Kids…
First of all, avoidance of political subjects is, according to Critical Thinking experts, merely an escape mechanism for the uninformed. Saying, “I don’t discuss politics” is the easier thing to say, as opposed to, “I don’t keep myself informed.”
As you know from my Facebook page, I have taken on the Fox News subject. I also defended my stance at a family gathering during the holidays, wherein I actually pulled up FACTS to refute a Fox News story. I don’t begin the conversations, but I do know what it is I speak of, and I don’t care if it is my grandmother, uninformed is uninformed. (my parents are both rabid liberals, just one stray uncle and aunt in my entire family) Once that was done, suddenly Fox News was dropped from all conversation. 😉
Now, Angry Birds, I love that I am not the only one convinced, subconsciously, that moving my body along with the birds will somehow assist the birds defeat those annoying green bastards! Also, stop it or I’m coming to take your iPhone away!
Wicked Shawn recently posted…Just A Dream