Portrait of A Citizen

I took this photo at the Chili Cookoff in Elk Grove last summer.  It is about as candid a shot as there can be: I took it with my iPhone as I walked by the booth, and didn’t really know what I had till I downloaded it to my laptop.  And then I saw that if I had lain in wait for hours to capture the quintessential Tea Party-er, I couldn’t have done a better job.  If she changed out of her T-shirt, ball cap and fanny pack and put on the garments of an 18th century goodwife hawking fish at a fayre, that would work too.

I don’t know who she is–she could live down the street from me for all I know–but she’s an emblem of all that I think it wrong with our political system today.  It’s a system that runs on raw emotion rather than reason.  Whatever she’s bellowing is bound to be a slogan dreamt up by political operatives in some far away city and handed down wholesale to the grassroots.

Don’t for a moment think that it’s the Tea Party I’m criticizing here; her ilk can be found in all parties.  It is the degradation of human discourse that I object to.  The idea that the next twelve months between now and the 2012 election will be filled with nothing but spite and anger makes me want to–I don’t know, hide maybe?  That’s pretty much what I did in 2008, but this time I’m not allowing myself that luxury.

If you did yesterday’s Writers Workshop prompt and want to share, send it to me at jane(at)midlifebloggers(dot)com

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  • Pjpusser3

    No that luxury is lost because of what would come if people like you didn’t vote . I fear most people like you didn’t vote in 2010 and it almost changed the political landscape for some time to come but Wisconsin and Ohio and OWS across the country have been finally motivated and I don’t think they’ll stop now unless Republican Governors manage to change the laws so radically that none of us will be able to vote.

  • Jane

    And don’t think some of the GOP Governors won’t try to do that. I fear the next twelve months will be very ugly. I won’t be silent this time, but I also won’t allow the ugliness on MidLifeBloggers. Hope you’ll join me .

  • Joanna Jenkins

    Ha! That picture is worth a thousand words! I’m with you– The thought of all the political pontificating and craziness makes me sick too. I find myself turning the tv off more and more. Ugh.

  • Mingo77

    Yes, if the general public did a little research (i.e. reading) into BOTH political sides and all the options, instead of allowing themselves to be brain-washed by politcial sound bites (remember during the Bush 2 election: “Well, I’m voting for Bush because he has ‘moral values’.” What the f#%! does that mean?) maybe there would be a public demand for more intelligent candidates! Maybe some with anthropology degrees? Sorry, I’m from Florida.
    Marisa
    http://www.steppingintothewater.wordpress.com

  • Jane

    The one I remember from Bush2 was “He’s a guy I could have a beer with…” Another dandy reason for electing someone president.

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