Dear Mr. President,
I generally do not hold you accountable for the actions and beliefs of those who support you. Martin Peretz, for example, may be a prominent member of the media and a self-described democratic loyalist, but when he expresses his view that Muslims have no claim to first Amendment rights, I don't blame you for that. I do, however, expect you to speak out. I do expect you to show the rest of the world that America cannot accurately be represented by cult leaders in Florida or racists in The New Republic. I expect you to speak out because the world is watching these people and it is watching you.
I don't expect that you act alone. I think that you should get every prominent and influential politician in this country, Republican and Democrat, to collectively issue a condemnation for these hateful acts and words. To challenge Americans to rise above this, to be better than these small-minded men and women would represent us to be. I can imagine the power of you, both former Presidents Bush, President and Secretary Clinton standing together to make this request. I may not have agreed with President Bush, but he has an obligation to speak to the parts of the country still irrationally enraged at Muslims over 9/11. A tangible demonstration from current and former GOP leaders might go a long way toward calming down the violent Islamophobia on the right, just as you, Bill and Hillary Clinton might do for the left. I believe that silence in the face of these dangerous swells of anger is tantamount to complicity.
We expect our leaders to stand up in moments like these. I'm not asking that you outlaw the perfectly legal actions of these groups (no matter how reprehensible or dangerous they might be.) This isn't a legal issue but a moral one and you still wield enough influence over any audience you speak to that a few words from you might yet summon the humanity in these people to make them reconsider their actions. At the very least, it will demonstrate clearly that they do not act in the name of all Americans. This morning all I could think about were the young boys and old men in Palestine who asked me over and over again to tell my country they were not terrorists. Their own helplessness in the face of a media narrative that could not be stopped was deeply moving. I think I finally understand what they felt like. I want to write a letter to the world and say, please, believe me, American's aren't racists, we're not bigots, we're not violent and hateful and irrational. Please don't judge us by the actions of a few crazy people who act in our name.
So I hope that before Saturday you and every other influential American with access to a microphone has taken to the airwaves or written in the papers or published on the internet an unequivocal denunciation of the Qur'an burning and the rallying cries against Islam as a religion and Muslims as people. We must show the world that this is not who we are, and that has to start with our leaders. I think that few days in recent memory have as much power to transform as this year's eleventh of September has; I don't want to wake up Sunday morning and wonder what country I'm living in.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
Showing posts with label perception. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perception. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Day 244- Interior design and how much I don't care what your office looks like
Dear Mr. President,
My room is a mess. I often have several piles of "clean" "not clean" and "questionable" laundry lying around, coffee mugs lining my window sil and bookcases, a perpetually unmade bed and a dresser I started painting in my time of mourning after my best friend left and have never finished. My walls are covered in old photos, posters, paintings done on cardboard and a giant Palestinian flag. Three of my bookshelves I inherited from a roommate relocating abroad, another I bought for $20 at a thrift store, and another was salvaged out of the dumpster when a neighbor threw it out. The books on them are organized into two categories: "relevant to my major" and "not". They are not alphabetized.
Clearly, I'm not an individual with much sense for interior design. I understand that my room's chaos would make most people crazy, but luckily it is my room and most people don't have to spend any time there. This is how I feel about your office. Granted, you have important meetings in the Oval office so you can't exactly leave your laundry sorted in piles on the floor. But when it comes to color scheme or furniture selection, I feel like you, as the person who has to spend the most time looking at the inside of your office, should probably be allowed to decorate it however you want. So when I heard that people were actually upset about this, and that respected, intelligent journalists with a huge reading audience and enough common sense to know better were writing about this, I was disgusted.
Maureen Dowd really needs a new editor. Since when, first of all, is the Oval Office the classiest place on earth? Who cares what it looks like? Dowd goes on to say "The recession redo, paid for by the nonprofit White House Historical Association, was the latest tone-deaf move by a White House that was supposed to excel at connection and communication. Message: I care, but not enough to stop the fancy vacations and posh renovations." So, it isn't classy enough but it's too "posh" for these economic times? I'm confused. How much personal luxury is acceptable for a President during a recession?
The added shot about "fancy vacations" is a reference to Dowd's previous gripe about the First Lady's vacation to Spain. Does Maureen Dowd not realize that we have actual problems? Her influence allows her a tremendous amount of power and to waste that week after week on these non-issues is really disappointing. I'm sure that you don't pay much attention to these absurd complaints, but just in case I want you to rest assured that I, for one, couldn't care less what kind of color scheme you chose for your office.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
My room is a mess. I often have several piles of "clean" "not clean" and "questionable" laundry lying around, coffee mugs lining my window sil and bookcases, a perpetually unmade bed and a dresser I started painting in my time of mourning after my best friend left and have never finished. My walls are covered in old photos, posters, paintings done on cardboard and a giant Palestinian flag. Three of my bookshelves I inherited from a roommate relocating abroad, another I bought for $20 at a thrift store, and another was salvaged out of the dumpster when a neighbor threw it out. The books on them are organized into two categories: "relevant to my major" and "not". They are not alphabetized.
Clearly, I'm not an individual with much sense for interior design. I understand that my room's chaos would make most people crazy, but luckily it is my room and most people don't have to spend any time there. This is how I feel about your office. Granted, you have important meetings in the Oval office so you can't exactly leave your laundry sorted in piles on the floor. But when it comes to color scheme or furniture selection, I feel like you, as the person who has to spend the most time looking at the inside of your office, should probably be allowed to decorate it however you want. So when I heard that people were actually upset about this, and that respected, intelligent journalists with a huge reading audience and enough common sense to know better were writing about this, I was disgusted.
The Oval Office, the classiest, most powerful place on earth, is now suffused with browns and beiges and leather and resembles an upscale hotel conference room or a ’70s conversation pit with a boxy coffee table that even some Obama aides find ugly.
Maureen Dowd really needs a new editor. Since when, first of all, is the Oval Office the classiest place on earth? Who cares what it looks like? Dowd goes on to say "The recession redo, paid for by the nonprofit White House Historical Association, was the latest tone-deaf move by a White House that was supposed to excel at connection and communication. Message: I care, but not enough to stop the fancy vacations and posh renovations." So, it isn't classy enough but it's too "posh" for these economic times? I'm confused. How much personal luxury is acceptable for a President during a recession?
The added shot about "fancy vacations" is a reference to Dowd's previous gripe about the First Lady's vacation to Spain. Does Maureen Dowd not realize that we have actual problems? Her influence allows her a tremendous amount of power and to waste that week after week on these non-issues is really disappointing. I'm sure that you don't pay much attention to these absurd complaints, but just in case I want you to rest assured that I, for one, couldn't care less what kind of color scheme you chose for your office.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
Monday, August 30, 2010
Day 242- Difference of opinion
Dear Mr. President,
Tonight I saw a movie with friends. Upon exiting, we all had vastly, radically different reactions. Some hated it, the others loved it. Few were in between. The ensuing shouting match, which might charitably be described as a debate, revealed both camps to be intractable. Luckily, we were arguing over Piranha 3-D and not health care, the environment, or anything that actually matters. I understand having different tastes in entertainment, but the stark contrast between those who loved what they saw and those who hated it reminded me of the kinds of shouting matches that political debate usually devolves into. How is it that we can have such differences of perception, even over verifiable facts?
Lately I've been cringing at the all-too-fresh memory of a situation I badly misjudged and, as a result, badly mishandled. I was so sure, so confidently convinced about my perceptions that, once I was slapped back into reality, it was as though the ground below me shifted. This is probably just another aspect of my control-freak personality disorder, but being so wrong about something I was so sure of has thrown me into intense self-doubt. What else am I sure about today that will seem laughably off-base tomorrow? If I'm capable of being so self-deceived, what other perceptions of mine are false?
This kind of doubt is actually good for me. It keeps me from the kind of arrogance that I am often prone to and it keeps me asking questions that need to be asked. In the end, it also often confirms my views, giving me stronger faith in the things I believe and helping me to articulate these beliefs more clearly in the future. I learn not to be so sure of anything that I can't process contrary evidence. I think that maybe a little self doubt might be good for some of the more ideologically entrenched in government. Our society is facing so many problems that we all ought to be wondering what beliefs we've falsely clung to, what choices we've badly made, and how we can change these as we go forward. I think this especially applies to those in government (particularly career incumbents) who continue to do what has always been done without wondering why; to declare the earth isn't getting warmer no matter how much new evidence comes to light, or to define family and citizenship and education in the same tired old terms. Evolution cannot happen without recognizing our mistakes and reaffirming what is important to us.
You have always struck me to be a contemplative individual. Mr. President, I know that flip-flopping is not something a political figure likes to admit to, but have you honestly re-evaluated any of your positions since the campaign? Has the work of government changed the way you view certain issues? How can we reward public servants with the courage to change their mind when presented with new information or alternate views, and encourage more of it in those who lack it?
I suppose for now I'm going to take comfort in the things I am certain about. Like the fact that Piranha 3-d is the worst movie ever made. No matter what Eric says.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
Tonight I saw a movie with friends. Upon exiting, we all had vastly, radically different reactions. Some hated it, the others loved it. Few were in between. The ensuing shouting match, which might charitably be described as a debate, revealed both camps to be intractable. Luckily, we were arguing over Piranha 3-D and not health care, the environment, or anything that actually matters. I understand having different tastes in entertainment, but the stark contrast between those who loved what they saw and those who hated it reminded me of the kinds of shouting matches that political debate usually devolves into. How is it that we can have such differences of perception, even over verifiable facts?
Lately I've been cringing at the all-too-fresh memory of a situation I badly misjudged and, as a result, badly mishandled. I was so sure, so confidently convinced about my perceptions that, once I was slapped back into reality, it was as though the ground below me shifted. This is probably just another aspect of my control-freak personality disorder, but being so wrong about something I was so sure of has thrown me into intense self-doubt. What else am I sure about today that will seem laughably off-base tomorrow? If I'm capable of being so self-deceived, what other perceptions of mine are false?
This kind of doubt is actually good for me. It keeps me from the kind of arrogance that I am often prone to and it keeps me asking questions that need to be asked. In the end, it also often confirms my views, giving me stronger faith in the things I believe and helping me to articulate these beliefs more clearly in the future. I learn not to be so sure of anything that I can't process contrary evidence. I think that maybe a little self doubt might be good for some of the more ideologically entrenched in government. Our society is facing so many problems that we all ought to be wondering what beliefs we've falsely clung to, what choices we've badly made, and how we can change these as we go forward. I think this especially applies to those in government (particularly career incumbents) who continue to do what has always been done without wondering why; to declare the earth isn't getting warmer no matter how much new evidence comes to light, or to define family and citizenship and education in the same tired old terms. Evolution cannot happen without recognizing our mistakes and reaffirming what is important to us.
You have always struck me to be a contemplative individual. Mr. President, I know that flip-flopping is not something a political figure likes to admit to, but have you honestly re-evaluated any of your positions since the campaign? Has the work of government changed the way you view certain issues? How can we reward public servants with the courage to change their mind when presented with new information or alternate views, and encourage more of it in those who lack it?
I suppose for now I'm going to take comfort in the things I am certain about. Like the fact that Piranha 3-d is the worst movie ever made. No matter what Eric says.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
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