Pissed, Back Atcha

Now, I am aware that I live under a rock. My work keeps me isolated, in that I spend hours in my office, in front of my computer, by myself. My new location keeps me somewhat isolated, in that I don't yet have many friends out here with whom to shoot the shit. I do, however, pop my head up, not un-meerkat-like, to look around every now and then.

During a recent meerkat moment, I learned that many feminists are pissed at those of us who are female, feminists and voted for Barack Obama. I didn't just read this on one website. I didn't just hear this on one news program. This is, apparently, pretty widespread pissage. They say we dropped the ball. They say we let them down. They say we had the opportunity and we blew it.

Generally speaking, I do not respond to anger directed at me with anger directed back. I've always found that particular response a nasty form of deflection (albeit an effective one when used properly ~ which is probably why so many people use it) and hugely disrespectful. However, in this instance...

What The Fuck Are You Pissed At Us For?????????????

Did you listen to what Hillary Clinton was saying? Or did you do exactly what generation upon generation of men have done since the country began and pay attention only to her gender? Do you have such little faith that maybe, just maybe, we listened to you as we were growing up and took to heart the fact that we should vote for the person, not the gender? Do you have so little faith in yourselves and your ability to teach us this valuable lesson?

You tell me I've dropped the ball by nominating Barack Obama ~ a man whose policies, ideas and ideals are the ones that resonate with me, the ones I believe can move my country and my gender forward ~ instead of Hillary Clinton ~ a woman whose policies, ideas and ideals are very similar to Obama's and yet tactics and motives repulse and scare me. And yet you stand there and say you are going to vote for a man who has the potential and the ability to, at best, stagnate your cause and, at worst, set it back a generation and you are going to do this in solidarity with me? Oh fuck that.

Once again, you have to choose between two male presidential candidates. Guess what? So do I. And believe it or not, I didn't want to. Any more than you did. I wanted with all my heart to be able to cast a vote for a female president. I wept when Clinton announced her candidacy because it was going to happen and not just in my lifetime but while I was a young-ish woman. I was going to get to share this with my nieces and their grandmothers. At the prime of my life, I was going to get to watch my country which I love so much come into the prime of its. Instead, she lost me. I was hers to lose and she did it. And she did it because I listened to you growing up. Because I listened when you taught me that the best person should get the job. That gender shouldn't and doesn't matter.

Now you tell me that the best person should get the job...unless the best person is male? Or that gender shouldn't matter...unless the gender is male? And now, you strong, powerful women, whom I have always admired, whom I have always respected and aspired to emulate, now you tell me that it was all posturing?

Because if you do as you threaten, if you do indeed vote for McCain instead of Barack Obama, everything you've taught, fought and stood for is indeed just posturing. We can disagree on who would've been better for our cause, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. But one thing is obvious, by any standard you taught us: McCain is bad for our cause; Barack Obama is good for it. How dare you drop the ball.

Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.