Problematic Politics

I am beyond tired of politics. Not just the politics on the national screen. The never ending battle over controlling women's bodies and preserving the patriarchy. The way that we have been pushed far enough to the right that the radical right is demonstrating what should have been obvious to anyone with an understanding of history, that abortion was just the tip of the ice berg. They want to take away birth control. They want to reduce the programs that address violence against women, specifically VAWA. But in the same breath of trying to limit federal reach into people's home lives, they will support DOMA. I find it insanely problematic that legislators, that are supposed to be upholding the ideals of our country, which include a separation of church and state, use religion as their objection to using state resources to benefit citizens of our country. I am reminded of Martin Niemöller's famous quote about the Nazis, first they came for the socialists, but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a socialist, then the trade unionists, and so on, ending with "Then they came for me--and there was no one left to speak up for me." Here we have a vocal minority (religious extremists willing to use the state to enforce their beliefs), and not enough people are willing to speak up. Too many people who maybe agree with the ideas, but disagree with the methodology do not speak up and say that it is an abuse of the power of the state to further our religious ideals. That belongs in our churches and communities. I am also beyond irritated at the politics on a more local level. I'm involved in a workgroup to address bullying in schools. The organization that is meant to oversee has taken charge and just sent one of those emails that insists something occurred that never occurred. They are pushing for an agenda a certain way and are trying to discourage dissent to their approach. An approach that will amount to making "work" a misnomer. An approach that will do very little, if anything to give the legislature anything to work with with regard to addressing the reason why the problem of bullying lingers. It is a missed opportunity and the leadership is so concerned with their own self-importance that they are missing an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students. Instead they will create these useless reports that I doubt most of the workgroup will read, and surely no legislatures, school boards, principals, teachers or students will ever bother to look at. Then there are the organizations I'm involved in where there are people who create crappy proposals and it seems like they want to be showered with praise. But when I read them, they are excessively poorly put together. When I try to send some feedback in the most helpful, positive way possible, they treat it like I am asking for some greater work. They fail to acknowledge that yup, they missed something pretty obvious, or that it was a good point, thanks for the feedback. Sometimes I get so tired of diplomacy and trying to be polite about it all and I just want to say, would you step up and do what you're supposed to do in a timely fashion. Cut out your freaking ego. Acknowledge when you can and should do better and don't make it seem like you are doing more than you should have done in the first place. Do not mistake my rant for me saying that I am perfect. I fail on a regular basis. I am committed to too much and don't feel like I am doing anything particularly well, good enough to get by, but not not nearly as good as I would like. I also take other people's failures personally. Like somehow I could have done something better to make them respond to a poll, submit a committee report, do what they said they would have done. I wonder if maybe there is something I do that thwarts their efforts. Whether they can see that below the surface of my encouraging suggestions is the thought, wow that was a piece of crap, and so they do not want to do something because they are afraid that I will point out all its flaws. Which leads me to my final point. I HATE the expression, "You get more bees with honey than vinegar." First and foremost, I don't want any freaking bees or flies or whatever. Second, what it really seems to say, is don't be honest, and I think any motto based in an idea that people are too fragile for the truth encourages us to treat people with disrespect, which is sometimes how I feel like I treat someone when I try to sugar coat my thoughts in an effort not to alienate people who are putting in the time for a cause. But the thing is, just because you're heart is in the right place, I don't believe that you should get a pass on putting your best foot forward.