Back in the Blog Life (again)
Written by washwords on September 16, 2008 – 7:20 pmOh, Hai (sorry reading lots of Lolcatz lately). Anywho, remember me?
So I’ve been on unapproved blog leave of absence lately. I’m sorry.
There’s a lot of excuses I could give – good ones! Really! I got engaged (and celebrated by fab pals!) I had visitors. I’m exploring interweb advertising and other commercial ventures. I’ve been sick. A moose ate my bloggy post.
But the truth is… I’ve been too mad and sad to blog. Too mad to blog? Whaaa? Blogs are for mad, right? Too sad to blog? Like that’s ever stopped me (ahh, that reminds me I really do need to post Washwords and the Single Parents Mingle Adventure! yee haw). Too scared? Well surely my bloggy friends could help.
But I’ve been struggling with this one – being scared, and mad and sad about… politics. My entire career(s) (whether as a journalist or a “govvie”) have trained me to be apolitical, non-partisan, non-personal. But now…things are changing. The political IS the personal (take abortion, feminism, religion… to name a few issues in both categories) and the stakes are higher (google “Sarah Palin and Jews for Jesus” or “equal pay for equal work, McCain” or “Sarah Palin, “I’d be AGAINST (thanks mom, for editorial correction!) abortion even in cases of rape, even if it was my daughter” or creationism in schools or… wow, there are too many to go on, if you’re not sure this election matters.) It is hard to be quiet when you are so mad and hard to talk about other things when this is so important Shout-out to two Megs the Meg who pointed this out and the Meg that wrote it, both of whom are fabulous women writers I love and respect, for explaining this campaign addiction/obssession/need-it-want it so well. I DON’T hope it passes.
Another fab woman writer/friend, Andrea, puts it like this in: On the Spiritual Perils of Religion Writing: Q&A with Rod Dreher : ReligionWriter.com
As a journalist, writing in the first person is still pretty new for me. But starting this site, blogging professionally and generally entering the Web 2.0 world is essential for my professional survival, and reading Romenesko, the blog-stlye round-up of media-industry news, reminds me of that fact daily. On the one hand, it’s freeing to write from the heart, share my opinions and borrow from my own life when I need an interesting lead. On the other hand, I have this feeling of creeping out onto a frozen pond, never quite sure when the ice will break, and I’ll fall through, suddenly finding every opinion I’ve admitted to online has now become a personal or professional liability.
Here’s the main danger: Market forces are pushing us journalists to write more personally. But do we know what the hell we’re getting ourselves into
So, here I am, using my shield of quasi-anonymity to say loudly, clearly:
I am angry. So angry. Angry that I (and other women) are being called “sexist” for ummm using our brains not our “like omg, she’s a girl too” childlike selves to think about the election, raise questions.
I am scared. More scared than I was with George W. even that we could have leaders who not only are for overturning Roe v. Wade (allowing abortion,yes, even in cases of rape or incest) but who do so with a smile and song about the change they’ll bring to America. I’m scared that Palin used her church pulpit to stand next to and applaud leaders spewing hate, to tell folks what to vote for, to tell folks that war and her economics and policies were divinely inspired ( some of this preaching on taxpayer money). I’m scared for my young niece (age 1) and for myself and my loved ones for what we know too well happens when anyone non-evangelical (let alone not Christian) is cast as outsider, to be feared, to be mistrusted.
I am saddened. I get that people can have different opinions, really I do. I get that intelligent people can disagree. But to see my sisters, my friends, YOUNG women, JEWISH women even, blogging and writing about “the exciting change” that Sarah Palin brings to this race, I am sad. When I see people saying “whaaaa? he’s not Bush again,” I feel sad. And angry. And scared. And sad again.
So now I’ve said it, and now back to your regularly scheduled blog. About Words and Washington. And occasionally fear, and sadness and anger, too; because it matters. A lot.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Tags: anger, apolitical, fear, leave of absence, Mccain, nonpolitical, Obama, Palin, personal, politics, sadness, Sarah Pallin
Posted in bonus material, wash, words | 9 Comments »
September 17th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Editorial Note: my (actual) sister would like folks to know that my use of the term “my sisters” (as in “my sisters are supporting Sarah Palin” ) was meant FIGURATIVELY not literally. My REAL sister does NOT support Sarah Palin.
It was a poetic license, kind of like if someone said “you can put lipstick on a pig but…” Oh never mind.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I knew you’d like that Megan Daum piece. It had your name all over it!
Welcome back. We missed you.
Megs last post: A musical twist on the presidential campaign
September 17th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
“I am angry. So angry. Angry that I (and other women) are being called “sexist” for ummm using our brains not our “like omg, she’s a girl too” childlike selves to think about the election, raise questions.”
A-FUCKING-MEN.
(pardon my french, dammit.)
maggie, dammits last post: up for air
September 17th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
hooray for semi-anonymity! My favorite moment of “ooh, she’s real” is when I was watching the Today show, and Katie Couric was interviewing Whoopi Goldberg, and Whoopi said “I mean, you and I have both marched for abortion rights…” and Katie blanched and said “Uh… Yuh, I’m not supposed to talk about that,” and Whoopi said “Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot where I was!”
I was all, Hey! You’re real, Miz Couric!
No less of a journalistic light than Edward R. Murrow let his guard down once in a while. Maybe the Clooney will make a movie about this blog entry someday.
I continue to charge forward with the Golden Retriever in my soul insisting EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE. Sanity will prevail. Republicans will stop talking about sexism (like they CARE!). And my baby and your wedding will come to pass in a lovely new sane world. So it shall be written, so it shall be done.
Amys last post: "how can you stand to write that crap?"
September 18th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Yeah, I’m more scared than mad. I’m scared that so many semi-intelligent women are falling for the Palin bullshit. It frightens the be-jesus out of me.
the woman wants to teach abstinence in school, yet her own teen aged daughter is pregnant, so much for teaching abstinence, eh? it worked so well for her, so let’s just continue that time honored tradition, it’s so effective, don’t ya know.
and hey, lets not forget that dinosaurs never existed, and while we’re at it, why don’t we all just go corner some mama wolf in her den with her little pups and kill her. better yet, let’s just shoot them all from helicopters.
let’s not forget to rape alaska our last frontier so some rich-ass oil barons can make more money. it’s God’s will, don’t ya know. besides, it’s not man who creates global warming, and what do polar bears do for us anyway? nothing, absolutely nothing.
and speaking of rape, let’s all brandish our AK-47′s, put on our sluttiest outfits and go get raped so we can be forced to have that child against our wills. why not? what’s wrong with that?
the kid will have a crappy life, turn to crime, be put in prison and we can just kill him later, with the death penalty.
and don’t forget, it’s God’s will for us to fight those nasty muslims in iraq. Everybody knows God has always been in favor of war. and those nasty muslims using God as their reasoning for attacking us, well, they just don’t know God, do they? God only backs football teams and the USA. Everybody knows that.
September 18th, 2008 at 10:52 am
hooo doggy.
there is no such thing as “non-personal” blogging anymore. people are drawn to and interested in people, and what makes them tick. it’s a fine line to walk.
i sure understand being so overcome with emotion (in this case, anger) that you can’t blog. it will work itself out, and your material will be all the better for the distance of time.
that being said, i can’t write or read one more word about Sarah Palin. i am beyond disgusted, beyond pissed off — and yes, betrayed. i feel betrayed by the very people who are supposed to be looking out for everyone, not just their cronies.
Sarah Palin is the antithesis of everything i believe, and i find the most insulting thing is the GOP actually thought all women would eat this shovel of shit without a by-your-leave, as if we’re such cows we would be unable to see this for the sham it is.
see? i’m out of words. i HATE that.
carry on, sistah.
September 18th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
I work in the financial industry. I am one of only 2 liberals that I know of on a floor with over 100 other people. Everyone is in love with Palin/McCain.
Everyone who was against regulation is now pro regulation (but not mad a Reagan- go figure). Everyone who is paid less than 250K is really worried about Obama’s tax plan and favors McCain’s. Everyone thinks Palin is great because…well…they don’t really know why or what she stands for. They thought her Hockey mom joke was great (maybe the speech writer should be VP), thanks but no thanks is phenomenal (whatever happened to flip flopper?), and blinking is for tree-hugging hippies (Iran contra = not blinking). I have lost all hope. Sorry I comment-blogged your blog.
Yolanders last post: Another site that pays you for….writing?
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 am
Love your blog layout. =D
September 24th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Wow. thanks everyone. I have so much to say that I am (ironically? maybe, maybe not) speechless! I will just say “thank you.” Thank you wonderful women – I am so so glad to have company in misery or in joy (whaaa? mccain actually just said he WANTS to delay the debates/stop his campaign to “focus on the economy.” Okay buddy, sounds great. that’s sure to fix everrrrrrytthing. harumph.)