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06/18/2007 Archived Entry: "The same old same old question"

FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS NOW I've been getting variations on this question. If I hear it one more time I'm going to retire to a cave in Tibet and sic rabid yetis on anyone who approaches within a mile. So here, for once and for all, are my answers.

But first, of course, The (Infamous) Question:

The country is in terrible shape. Everything we try is hopeless! I've read everything you've ever written and I think it's really great! How can we get the country back the way it was 50 (or 30 or 100 or 200) years ago? Oh, and by the way, your answer can't involve any risk, danger, or even inconvenience.

My answer:

A. It wasn't all that damn great x-many years ago. Beaver Cleaver never lived. Even during the Revolution, the Hamiltonians were orchestrating their takeover. Anyhow, what the hell's the point of going backwards to anything? Freedom, if it lies anywhere, lies in the future.

B. Nobody has THE answer. The fact that you're looking for it says you're thinking in the wrong damn direction. Freedom is bottom-up, not top-down. Freedom is millions of answers for millions of people. But there's a ton of actions any of us can take. Build up critical mass, and at the right time, there goes the seemingly unshakable "system." Even if the system doesn't fall, we've made ourselves better human beings.

C. No risk? Read your Frederick Douglass!

D. You've read everything I've ever written and somehow managed to miss the fact that I've been making points A, B, and C for a solid freaking decade?????

Sorry. I'm a little grouchy today. But really, if I hear that question one more time, Tibet, here I come.

Posted by Claire @ 01:36 PM CST
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