In recent days, we have seen one diary on the rec list, about the presence of disruptive, possibly armed freepers at healthcare-themed town-hall meetings. The diary had a title I'll paraphrase as, "American Democracy is DYYYIIIINNG!! We're Doooooooommed!" We've seen another rec-list diary quite recently, regarding troubling, equivocal noises from the Executive Branch about the "public option" for funding healthcare; this diary was titled something close to, "A-a-a-a-a-ah, A-a-a-a-a-a-h, the Pu-u-u-blic Optio-o-o-n is De-e-e-e-a-a-a-d!" (Maybe with a little modulation in that last word, so it's more like, "De-e-E-E-E-a-a-A-A-A-a-a-ad!" Sorry, I'm being catty here.)
Yes, I'm exaggerating these titles some; I only wish I were exaggerating more. I've shown up in the comments sections after these and similar diaries, to jeer and laub virtual tomatoes. Perhaps you've run into me.
Excuse me, when it comes to life-and-death topics like critical, hard-fought reforms in society, I just hate hysteria. I hate defeatism. They burn me up. I want to wage war on them.
If you're in scary, uncertain circumstances--in a store, maybe, with a gunman loose, or in a jetliner with engine failure--yes, you'll be terrified, but do you shriek--like a clown, like an idiot in a cartoon--"A-a-a-a-a-gh, a-a-a-a-a-gh, I'm to-o-o-o yo-o-o-ung to di-i-ie!" No, of course not; in a dire situation like this, your reptile brain, or whatever it is more primordial than every-day awareness, kicks in, and you are 100% focused on your survival. You stay as collected as you possibly can, and you assess your options. Maybe these options in life-or-death circumstances include teamwork; maybe they include an ingenious strategy, and a show of leadership on your part. They're pulled out of the hat. They are planned instantaneously, is the point, as the situation demands. But plans that optimize the chances of survival in grave and scary circumstances are planned coolly, without fatalism, without panic.
These recent diaries that I've hectored, their topics are often serious, and worthy of discussion. Sure, the existence of resentful, armed RW losers, egged-on by the likes of Glenn Beck, is scary. How do we address it, matter-of-factly, to ensure our survival? What's also scary, and incensing, are noises from the Obama administration, suggesting that it might capitulate to the demands of those interested in keeping for-profit health insurance corporations in the healthcare funding loop. What do we do? No, given the possibility of Executive capitulation on healthcare reform, for the sake of our survival, and that of our children, how do we best enact universal, cost-effective healthcare?
Don't tell me it "isn't possible;" the building is BURNING, damn it; don't waste my time.
Also don't dare--as yesterday's redoubtable diarist did--spout a reference to an AP article, and a few alarmist quips about having seen Obama "telegraphing" his planned capitulation to insurance lobbies for months. So, diarist, do we phone-bank, plan events, turn people out, educate, so Obama will know it wouldn't be in his interest to sell his constituents down the river? No cool-headed, matter-of-fact survival plans proffered in this diary, sorry. Just panic-mongering--as exactly suits the interests of the status quo.
I have nothing against expressions of disappointment at troubling events, or setbacks; I am all for using this venue to vent hard feelings, or grief, or outrage--any of it. Look at one way, political events--unlike the armed robber bursting into a public place when you least expect it--are not instantaneous. They unfold over time, and reacting to them emotionally is just part of being human.
Maybe this diary is an appeal for dignity. If you do react to a political "setback," source your concerns well, and tell us, matter-of-factly, what you plan to do about it, to survive in spite of it--what YOU, personally, in the grassroots, plan to do, and encourage others to do. Otherwise, your diary is incomplete. You're just blathering.