ain't that america?

'Well theres people and more people
What do they know know know
Go to work in some high rise
And vacation down at the gulf of mexico
Ohhh yeah
And theres winners, and theres losers
But they aint no big deal
cuz the simple man baby pays for the thrills,
The bills and the pills that kill

Chorus:
Oh but aint that america for you and me
Aint that america were someting to see baby
Aint that america, home of the free
Little pink houses for you and me'

there has been much shock and outrage over the racist, bigoted views in, most recently, west virginia- but also in ohio, indiana, and pennsylvania. oh- and the other 46 states. yep. in urban areas we like to think that we are so enlightened and it doesn't go on where we live- but hey, here's a newsflash- it does. human nature being what it is- especially the american mentality- we have to have someone to put down in order to feel superior too. in the past, it has been largely women, indigenous peoples and black folks. fyi- the folks from south of the border are made up of the indigenous peoples and spanish settlers so they fall neatly into that category- as we can tell by the severe backlash they have been facing here of late. guess there were too many black folks in jail and not enough out on the street to round up. to quote colbert, "movin' on..."

hillary clinton's minions bandied about misogyny while playing the race card- and the end result was cheapening the fact that there is very real misogyny out there. daily. not just in american homes and workplaces- but in our churches and government. there are entire movements devoted to reverting women's rights to contraception and abortion back to the 19th century and first half of the 20th. there are entire movements out there devoted to keeping gay people marginalized and in the closet- and here we are- cheapening what is very real.

the reality- these people exist in every neighborhood. they exist in every family- and i suspect that there are more of them than any poll will ever uncover. which is why there are megachurches and a republican party- and a democratic party- and NOW and any of the other exclusionary groups. the very few 'enlightened' people who attempt to see people as people regardless of race, creed, color, gender or sexual orientation- are the minority. there aren't enough of 'those people' to make an impact- at least not in this election. perhaps their children- or grandchildren. if the planet survives that long.