I've been a fan of The Daily Show for many years. I've long been a critic of the media and their sensationalist bent, and have been particularly disappointed over the last decade as they've slid further and further into a divisive fearful agenda. Jon Stewart (and later Stephen Colbert) have provided me some hope with their satire of these biases in the news over the years, and I was particularly encouraged this fall when I heard of their Rally in Washington.
I wasn't sure what to expect from the rally, other than to see a lot of people get together to enforce the underlying message of tolerance and civility. It was inspiring to see so many people show up (estimates ranged from 150-250,000+) for what was, essentially, a comedy rally asking everyone to play nice.
I watched a couple hours of the rally afterward streaming on CSPAN, and I have to admit I was disappointed in the content. While it was entertaining enough, it wasn't nearly as fun or substantive as I had hoped. Part of my disappointment came from the music-heavy content, but the guests just weren't all that funny or compelling. The "Law and Order" guy reading the poem was OK, but the Myth-Busters at the beginning dragged on needlessly, as did some of the comedy bits. As a daily viewer of both Stewart and Colbert, maybe my expectations were too high.
Regardless, the message of the rally was important and I was inspired to see that so many people across the country are willing to stand up for civil discourse and reason. I attended a satellite rally here in Portland, and was proud to take part with 700 fellow moderate Portlanders. In a rare turn of events, I left my camera at home for this rally, but did bring my video camera and have put together a short video which I've posted on YouTube. It'll be at the end of this post as well.
After attending the rally, and watching the DC rally online, I thought about how I've been trying to remain outside of the debate for the last few years. In 2008 I was reasonably vocal in my support for then-candidate Obama, and I alienated a couple of my conservative friends over the course of the election season. After the '08 election, I felt bad for this divide, and decided that I would tone down my politics in my social networking. As the President took office and started disappointing me with his centrist corporatist approach to governing, I basically gave up on political involvement altogether. Since then, I've been very discouraged by the rise of the far right, whether it be tea party enthusiasts or global warming deniers, but have maintained a basic silence in my political opinions.
With the 2010 election projections hanging grimly over my head, and the hope of seeing 200,000 or so moderates gather in Washington, I've decided I need to share my opinions on these subjects once again. Even if it's just to let off some steam when I see an article that offends me, or to express my frustration at the lack of consideration I see in some online discussions... I just need to get it out. Keeping it inside for the last two years has caused me too many sleepless nights and stomach aches... hopefully, writing things down here will help me keep a sane approach to discourse and prevent my head from exploding after seeing unsubstantiated attacks on the moderate improvements our President is working toward.
I tend to ramble on. Heh. Here's the video I made from the Portland Rally to Restore Sanity, including a motivational speech from Oregon state Representative Jefferson Smith (D-47).
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