The Freak Show

     I watched the most recent installment of Real Time with Bill Maher tonight and George Carlin was on the show. He said something that made me think. He said that when we are born we are given a ticket to the freak show - here in America we get a front row seat. Now the rest of this is what I got from the rest of his comments. Basically, you can sit back and watch the whole thing; you can be an objective commentator. Or you can be a freak, or even a freak saver. So I thought, oh my gosh, I'm one of the freaks! I thought this because I am playing the part of the GLBT advocate writing blog after blog about how terrible the other side is. I am one of the freaks who has no objectivity and soley re-establishes and rationalizes my position. This is bad I'm thinking.
     So as I consider my options I'm thinking I could just try to sit back and become more objective about things (being the gay rights issue.) I could get rid of the blog and just go about my business. I could decide to be a full-fledged freak and go hog wild accusing every last person who says anti-gay of crimes against humanity. Or I could go on doing what I'm doing...
     My partner often tells me that I need to be more objective sometimes; that I need to stop letting the news get to me so much. He's probably right. Sometimes I get so steamed when I read the latest BS from the president or the right wing that I could spit. But in some sense I think that's an asset. Many people ask whether they would rather be tortured by knowing the truth about the world or be blissfully ignorant of the facts surrounding them. I choose the torture - how masochistic of me. I think it's what makes things happen though. If no one got upset when blacks had to sit on the back of the bus, we'd be in a much different place. If no one got upset when Matthew Shepard was killed, what kind of people would we be?
     Which brings me back to being a freak. I think on many issues I am a front row observer. There are many issues which do not impact me or anyone I know directly and I don't give them much thought. But when those issues become important I rely on the freaks to let me know what is going on - those people who passionately care about the truth are the ones most likely to give it to me. So I will remain the freak that I am, and continue to let people know my version of the truth. If I and everyone else sits back and watches, then who will know the truth?

Proud to be a freak!