arteejee

A site of satirical musings, commentary and/or rhetorical criticism of the world at large.

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Location: Southeastern, Pennsylvania, United States

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Yes, Virginia…



Please don’t be afraid, Virginia.  I say that customary plea even though I myself (and many like-minded individuals) am dreading the foreseeable future.   We have spent the last month or so in a daze wondering why things are happening the way they happened.   We’ve also wondered what has jumped up the butts of our fellow citizens to make them suddenly act so…so…uncivilized.

My despondency has given way from time to time to more philosophical moods about current events.  As a historian, I have to reason that these events need to happen, else mankind in all their naivety will never learn their lessons and progress.   So we will have to endure all of the worst case scenarios which our fertile imaginations believe will come to pass.

Indeed, it is a bad time to be a liberal-leaning progressive living in America.

In our collective despair, we have sought to minimize our pain at the expense of our fellow citizens.  Yes, we joke that the vast rural area between the metropolitan extremes of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh should no longer be called Pennsylvania, but rather Pennsyltucky.    

We equate the living space of our neighbors and relatives with the worst possible, most demeaning, redneck hick stereotype imaginable.

It may sound vulgar, but we don’t mean it.  Still the stereotype thoughts do get us through the day.  It’s called “humor”, and it’s how we hope to accomplish what our detractors keep telling us, “Get over it.”

Sorry, Virginia, I got side-tracked.  This is, after all, when Christians all over the world honor traditions.  A tradition of doing good will to our fellow men and women. A tradition of wishing all a peaceful and happy life. A tradition of remembering you, Virginia, as the little girl who fretted that the human embodiment of these other traditions, Santa Claus, did not exist.

I’ll be honest, Virginia.  Many of us are having our doubts this year about our fellow man.  Yes, we’ll paint them in the worst, garish hues to make ourselves feel better, but ultimately we won’t want to keep doing it.

Both sides see the other as bad this year.  Truly, Virginia, we are not all bad. Good people still exist. They just see the world differently than we are seeing them now. We can only hope to change their minds and look at the world differently then they see the world today.  No, I won’t be so bold or arrogant to insist that they have to see things our way.  Just different…

You see, Virginia, we should really look in the hearts of our fellow man and see goodness in all of them.   Sticky sweet sentiment?  Perhaps, but we all need to believe that we can achieve peace and extend good will to men  and women.   That’s all human Christians and non-Christians alike.

I believe that this is the way the rabbi for which we name our holiest of holidays would prefer we live our lives.  Sleep tight, Virginia, in peace and good will.

(Thank you for reading and please have a safe and happy holiday season.)

7 Comments:

Blogger Raybeard said...

While recognising the serious tenour pf your post, RTG - a state to which I deeply sympathise, of course - I must take this oppo to wish you and W.Q. (and the three little ones) all the happiness that this day OUGHT to engender, despite the efforts of some influential sources seeking to kill off its essential spirit. Be not bowed or buckle under! Happy Christmas to all right-minded creatures everywhere!

December 25, 2016 at 1:01 AM  
Blogger todd gunther said...

Thank you Raybeard. Hope you have a Happy Christmas as well!

December 25, 2016 at 11:36 AM  
Anonymous Janey said...

Virginia, what have you been smoking?

December 26, 2016 at 1:06 PM  
Blogger Fearsome Beard said...

Happy holiday week my friend, happy holiday week. We must endure. The director of our local San Diego county democratic office is a past client to whom I helped in his home purchase. I will be at his office in January to volunteer. We have a lot of work to do in the next two years.

December 28, 2016 at 8:53 AM  
Blogger anne marie in philly said...

@fearsome - the day after the h8fest (election), I called my local D office to volunteer. gotta reverse the tide of h8 to love!

December 28, 2016 at 6:38 PM  
Blogger Ur-spo said...

hohoho

December 28, 2016 at 10:45 PM  
Blogger todd gunther said...

Oh, Janey! Virginia will only say it is the best stuff she has ever had and she is not sharing it with anyone! Virginia can be such a bitch!

Thank you, Fearsome Beard for the good thoughts. We will all need to be more involved in the future.

Thank you Spo! Hope you are having a great holiday!

December 29, 2016 at 11:21 AM  

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