Membership Has Its Privileges
Let's say you are applying for a job. Let's say it's a pretty important job. Let's even say that this job will impact lots of other people, some of whom may happen to be minorities or women.
The people deciding whether to hire you just might want to do a background check on you. Now let's say that background check reveals that you were a member of a club. In fact, you actually once called yourself a "proud" member of that club.
Got all that? Okay, moving on.
Let's say that it turns out that the purpose of that club is to keep doors closed to women and minorities. There are actually clubs like that. No, there really are.
No, you can't use the excuse that you forget being a member. That's lame. What? Now you remember it so well that you know you weren't a very active member and you didn't donate a lot of money to your club. Um, but you were a member, right? In the phrases "active member" and "big donor member," the key word is member. If you were a member of the KKK, do you think it would matter how active you were? Did anyone care how active Michael Dukakis was in the ACLU? Incidentally, being a member of the ACLU might not be so bad in this particular hypothetical job, but I digress. It doesn't even matter because it would take a pretty silly group of people to focus on the minutae of your club activity and miss the big picture of your club membership.
No, you can't compare this to McCarthyism. Join any club you want, just don't apply for this job. Nice attempt to shift focus though.
You joined. Your choice. Okay, wrong word to use for you. I'm just saying that no one forced you to join. You might not be so "proud" then. You certainly didn't join a sexist club to meet the ladies because that would make you stupid. You're not stupid, are you?
So, do you get the job?
Supreme Court Judgmental
The hearings started Monday. I was completely prepared to write all about it. I even TiVo'd C-SPAN which is not natural for me or for TiVo. I just sat there and stared. Nothing. Now, it's day two and still nothing.
It's not that there's nothing to talk about. Abortion. Secret wire-taps. Civil rights. Filibuster. Nuclear option. Ted Kennedy rules. Plenty of topics.
What is blocking me? Then, I remembered that Halloween day that Bush nominated Judge Samuel Alito to replace Sandra Day O'Connor and I knew. I had only one thing on my mind then, and it seems to be my only thought now. Maybe if I just say it, then I can finally focus.
I don't like the guy.
Before I knew anything about what he wrote, believed, decided, or said, I just didn't like him. He creeps me out. The more I watch him, the worse it gets. I should be thinking about how his possible confirmation threatens some of the basic rights of all Americans, and all I can think is, "Ewwwww."
I know that you would never read something so superficial, childish and un-professional on Daily Kos, Huffington Post, Common Ills or any other of the blogs we all love. You know what? I don't care. I feel better. I'm free.
Tommorrow, I will be able to write about the really important issues raised in the confirmation hearings. Oh, and you can also read all about how I think Joe Biden is dreamy.
