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| "Portrait Of Kenny" ©2012 All Rights Reserved Michael Sprouse |
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| "Sunset Over Rehoboth Bay" ©2012 All Rights Reserved Michael Sprouse |
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| "Happy Hour" ©2012 All Rights Reserved Michael Sprouse |
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| "Sunset. Sand. Gazebo." ©2012 All Rights Reserved Michael Sprouse |
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| "Portrait Of Melissa" ©2012 All Rights Reserved Michael Sprouse |
I am thoroughly befuddled when some of my friends and acquaintances – often on my Face Book wall mind you – will comment in support of some of my progressive issues posts (for example - marriage equality) while at the same time publically "like" the fan pages of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
Does that mean that they will transfer their like to votes? The assumption leans towards yes. Since they are obviously cherry picking the issues when it comes to their choice of presidential candidate, I'm curious as to what cherries on the tree that the GOP is offering are more enticing than those that offer equal rights for the people that they consider (or pretend to consider) friends.
Or for that matter, which are more alluring than protecting a woman’s right to choose, or sane gun legislation, or preservation of funding for the arts (believe it or not – some of them are actual artists). Clearly, I could go on…
At what point do they draw the line? What are their real motivations? Do they ever have a heart-to-heart with themselves to ponder the motivation?
I see two identical people sitting in a room facing each other. One figure represents the person’s outward mind/personality/persona and the other their soul/heart/inner-being/.
OM: “Well, I’m voting for Romney/Ryan and am happy to do so!”
IM: “Really? But what about –”
OM: Sticking fingers in ears “I can't hear you! I can’t hear you!”
You get the picture.
I can only rationalize that there must be much more darker motives for their decisions. Perhaps they have somehow fallen for the myth that the GOP is better with finance than Democrats – easy to disprove factually and historically – just ask W what became of the surplus and balanced budget that he inherited from Clinton for starters. If that is the case, then is it safe to assume that their love of money (AKA greed) outweighs their love for any LGBT friends and family members? They do have them - because truth be told, most folks do whether they realize it or not.
Perhaps they simply feel a reluctance to release the equally mythical belief that they are somehow better than those who aren’t white, straight, or Christian. Feeling superior to others is a huge motivator for many. It’s what helps them sleep at night. Of course, they are usually loathe to admit that one – especially to themselves. But it’s always there in the back of their mind. You’ll have to trust me on this one. As a man who was born into the LGBT minority group, you know when others around you are acting superior simply because they are heterosexual even when it’s not noticeable to themselves and others.
What good is it really for them to state publically that they support something (again, in this case marriage equality) and then do nothing about it – or worse yet - vote for a party that is vehemently opposed to it? Frankly, I’d much rather they be upfront and honest about it.
Perhaps an honest post like this would prove better: “Hey Michael, I know supporting (insert issue here) is the right thing to do and that opposing it could actually hurt you, but seriously, I don’t care enough about it to change my vote. I plan on voting for the person who represents the party that will continue to harm you and other friends and family members of mine.”
Though I won’t respect their misguided and apparently self-serving decision if that were to happen, at least I’ll respect their hutzpah. They should, however, expect a change in our relationship. Which, by all accounts, should be OK with them since they ultimately don’t respect me, or at least, they feel that I am some kind of second class citizen.
If they are actually publically airing the fact that they plan on taking action in the voting booth to support a candidate that has every intention of lessening my rights as an American citizen (tip of the iceberg mind you), then I can’t really trust their friendship as before.
Would you?
If they insist on voting Romney/Paul, then they should at least try to hide it from me. It will be so much easier for me not to know that they stabbed me (and countless others) in the back in the voting booth when we hug each other hello or goodbye.
Fortunately, I don’t have to be so – pardon the pun – “in the closet” about my politics because the person I’m voting for isn’t planning on taking away anyone’s rights. In fact, he plans on strengthening them. I don’t have to worry that I may be offending friends or family with my support of a candidate that publicly acknowledges a pro-active plan to denigrate their standing as an American citizen.
I can't even begin to get started on LGBT people, African-Americans, Latinos, and women who plan on supporting the Romney/Ryan hate machine (some actually do exist).
Though I am quite curious - what kind of mind erasing artificial sweetener they are using in their self-loathing flavored Kool-Aid.
I guarantee that after our new home is built and landscaped at some point next year (fingers crossed), that I will be trying out this super-hip idea for orbtastic subtle outdoor evening lighting…
http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/glowing-orbs/
While browsing about the HuffPost Arts and Culture page today, I came across an article with the following headline: “STUNNING 'ALBINOS' SERIES Gustavo Lacerda Documents An At-Risk Group”.
“Patricia” 2009 Gustavo Lacerda
His work truly is stunning and worth viewing. Gustavo’s website can be found here: www.gustavolacerda.com.br/
I'm a big fan of DailyWritingTips.com and I enjoy receiving their highly informative email every morning. It's filled with invaluable writing tips, grammar, style and punctuation guides. Sometimes the emailed posts serve as a simple refresher course on basic grammar that you may have placed in some forgotten corner of your memory bank, while at other times, they may enlighten you to a new and creative way of approaching your writing - or even introduce you to new concepts and resources.
A perfect example of this can be found in today’s Daily Writing Tip titled Make Way for New Words. It offers a brief discussion about new words that appear in our culture and how they find their way into the Oxford English Dictionary.
Coincidentally, one of the words mentioned in the article is bromance (a close friendship between two men). Just last night, I titled a new Pinterest board “Isn’t It Bromantic” (a twist on the Rodgers and Hart classic Isn’t It Romantic). The board offers a cheeky yet charming collection of vintage photographs of men in various poses of affection – as men were once oft to do in mid to late 19th and early 20th century photographs.
There’s a fascinating discussion to be had about how men’s visual documentation of affection in personal photographs has changed over the years (from freely affectionate to highly restrictive) based upon changes in social norms and ideas about masculinity, but I promise to save that topic for another post.
One other treat that you’ll find on their site – for a whopping cost of free mind you – is The Basic English Grammar Book. All you have to do to obtain the ebook is to subscribe to Daily Writing Tips via email – something I highly recommend.
My only issue with the book is the rather dated cover design. In my professional opinion as a digital designer, it screams 1990’s.
Ick.
I think a cover with a look that screams 1890’s with a present day "twist” would prove a worthy facelift. Here’s my version.
Should they contact me regarding this post, I would be more than happy to offer to them this cover design for free in exchange for all of the valuable – and free – work that they do on behalf of writers everywhere.
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