Fear Of Frying

I think the older you get the more likely the chance that people you've looked up to or admired for much of your life do or say something so disappointing that you completely reconsider your earlier judgement. I know it's happening to me with ever greater frequency.

The experience creates the sort of gut level queasiness you feel when a long lost friend from high school—someone you really connected with, but just lost touch with over the years—suddenly e-mails you a lengthy right-wing screed complaining about immigrants, libruls, and the evils of everything you hold dear. It's certainly not the end of the world, but leaves a bad taste in the mouth. And forces you to reconsider their place in your life, if only on the imaginal level. 

What brings this up is this latest "article" from Erica Jong in the Huffington Post. (I put article in quotes because it's really little more than a temper tantrum. Scratch that, it is just a temper tantrum, and an embarrassing one at that.) Ms. Jong was among my favorite writers for a little while during my 20s. I loved Fear of Flying and her bio of Henry Miller. I loved her bravery and her smarts. But her political writing is neither brave nor smart, and makes one wonder if there was any reflection given to it all.

Patriarchy:1000, Hillary:0
I give up. If I have to watch another great American woman thrown in the dustbin of history to please the patriarchy, I'll move to Canada -- where they live four years longer than we because they have universal health care. Or Italy -- where Berlusconi played at being Mussolini but life is sweet anyway and people take vacations in August and at Chanukah (Christmas or Diwali or Kwaanza) and Passover (Easter).

Ok folks, stick your heads in the sand like Maureen Dowd who thinks we're not against women but just against Clinton "baggage." Or Barbara Walters who seems to have forgotten how viciously she was attacked when she got her first million dollar contract -- worth only half a million in Euros today.

Or Oprah who forgets she wasn't always Oprah -- I knew her when she had two names. She was always really smart, but she used to identify with women. And now she's joined the Obamarama. I get it. I understand. People want their own color in the White House (pun intended). And nobody said Barack wasn't brilliant.…

Flip Flop, Flop Flip. This is the nature of our political dialogue. Might as well vote Repugnican as Democratic -- though I never have in my whole life. They're all just pols who secretly pledge to ignore fifty three percent of the population. And guess what? The fifty three percent is resigned to it. We don't like it. We wish it were otherwise. But we adore our sons and grandsons and husbands and fathers and grandfathers -- not to mention our nephews whom we happily nepotize. [Huh?]

So Oprah prefers Barack only because he's black and men support him only because he's a guy. And white women because they've forgotten the struggle or, worse, are turncoats. Did I leave anyone out? This is stream of consciousness mixed with street-corner rant. And that's just the coherent part. Half of the screed is virtually indecipherable. It's just...odd.

And, honestly, I don't care one way or the other whether she supports Hillary, even vociferously supports her. More power to her. But stamping her feet on the ground and holding her breath, all while throwing insults at those of us who reach a different conclusion about the candidates is unnerving, irritating, and just sad to watch.

Look, there are good, solid reasons to support Hillary for the nomination. I can see them. But what an increasing number of Hillary supporters seem unable to see is that there are just as many, if not more, good, solid reasons to support Barack. Without being misogynist pigs or MSM stoolies. 

For example, and by way of contrast, here's a link to Joseph Wilson's endorsement of Hillary. I completely disagree with his assessment (obviously), but at least he makes his case, makes an argument.