I have more rights now than I did 24 hours ago. Well, if you want to be technical they're not enacted yet and we have to wait a bit.... but I don't want to be technical just now. I want to float along and be amazed at the democratic process for a little while. Those phrases "proud of our democracy" or "the American democratic process" always make me cringe more than a little bit because they're so grandiose. But not today.
I stayed up until the wee hours pouring over election coverage... particularly from my Seattle station (KingFive!) on which I saw the Snohomish County Courthouse where my dad practices law. I've never felt so nostalgic about a nondescript government building. I then went to work, cleaning, to a free lecture on humanitarian intervention, studied a bit, and then to Humanity in Action happy hour... who needs sleep when you just got citizenship rights!?!
I believe in human rights. To be clear, I see major issues with the human rights regime in regards to global hierarchies and cultural relativism. Still, regardless of what political regime you live under - whether you are a Chinese student who speaks your truth in code on blogs to avoid state attention, a Bahraini citizen who fears physical abuse in exchange for exercising your opinion, or the President of France you are human. You deserve dignity, freedom, equality, education, opportunity... you deserve to have the chance to flourish. I believe this so strongly that at times I find myself thinking - ok yes legal right DO need to be achieved... but it doesn't really change what is right and wrong. And I think that's true in many ways: last week gay people should have had the opportunity to get married and she should also have that option next february - regardless of how the vote went.... but then we approved it.
Also, BY THE WAY, Washington and Colorado legalizing marijuana??? And it wasn't even close in Washington. Like pretty much everyone else I'm intrigued to see how this law is executed - how will it impact Mexican drug cartels and our neighboring states? How much revenue will it actually bring in? Will Oregonians be charging across the border to get our pot while we continue to amble over to their tax-free everything else? Will this change drug culture and how does it impact the way we teach about substances in school? WHAT IS HAPPENING???? With a full third of US states supporting medical marijuana.... where are we headed with this? It's so strange to me how American culture opts for some "liberal/progressive" stances and really not others. A Danish friend expressed his confusion to me today about the fat that the vote margin is so much closer on same-sex marriage than marijuana. To him the same-sex marriage is so much of a no-brainer human rights issue while the marijuana question could more conceivably vary based on your economic ideology.
I DO believe that human rights exist regardless of whether or not they're protected. Still... here I am on day one of "Washington-citizens-have-more-enforceable-rights-now" and I'm amazed at how different it feels. I guess I underestimated - yet again - how important it is to have my beliefs validated by my society. I'm not talking about a need to 'fit in'. I think I'm in such shock because the reality of my political landscape has so long been dominated by the idea that wanting to legalize same-sex marriage and marijuana are stances in the extreme minority. Now that I know for a fact that most of my fellow Washingtonians agree with me there's no need to be defensive about it. No need to pretend to not care when close-minded bigots sneer in the face of my beliefs. It wasn't until today when my state collectively declared this truth that I realized how tired I have been. Tired of constantly asserting a belief that feels unpopular has made me question myself for so many years, in so many ways. But now apparently it's.... normal for people who love each other to get married.
I am humble. I'm in shock. I'm feeling humble about democracy and I don't care how cheese-ball American and sentimental that makes me.
I stayed up until the wee hours pouring over election coverage... particularly from my Seattle station (KingFive!) on which I saw the Snohomish County Courthouse where my dad practices law. I've never felt so nostalgic about a nondescript government building. I then went to work, cleaning, to a free lecture on humanitarian intervention, studied a bit, and then to Humanity in Action happy hour... who needs sleep when you just got citizenship rights!?!
I believe in human rights. To be clear, I see major issues with the human rights regime in regards to global hierarchies and cultural relativism. Still, regardless of what political regime you live under - whether you are a Chinese student who speaks your truth in code on blogs to avoid state attention, a Bahraini citizen who fears physical abuse in exchange for exercising your opinion, or the President of France you are human. You deserve dignity, freedom, equality, education, opportunity... you deserve to have the chance to flourish. I believe this so strongly that at times I find myself thinking - ok yes legal right DO need to be achieved... but it doesn't really change what is right and wrong. And I think that's true in many ways: last week gay people should have had the opportunity to get married and she should also have that option next february - regardless of how the vote went.... but then we approved it.
Also, BY THE WAY, Washington and Colorado legalizing marijuana??? And it wasn't even close in Washington. Like pretty much everyone else I'm intrigued to see how this law is executed - how will it impact Mexican drug cartels and our neighboring states? How much revenue will it actually bring in? Will Oregonians be charging across the border to get our pot while we continue to amble over to their tax-free everything else? Will this change drug culture and how does it impact the way we teach about substances in school? WHAT IS HAPPENING???? With a full third of US states supporting medical marijuana.... where are we headed with this? It's so strange to me how American culture opts for some "liberal/progressive" stances and really not others. A Danish friend expressed his confusion to me today about the fat that the vote margin is so much closer on same-sex marriage than marijuana. To him the same-sex marriage is so much of a no-brainer human rights issue while the marijuana question could more conceivably vary based on your economic ideology.
I DO believe that human rights exist regardless of whether or not they're protected. Still... here I am on day one of "Washington-citizens-have-more-enforceable-rights-now" and I'm amazed at how different it feels. I guess I underestimated - yet again - how important it is to have my beliefs validated by my society. I'm not talking about a need to 'fit in'. I think I'm in such shock because the reality of my political landscape has so long been dominated by the idea that wanting to legalize same-sex marriage and marijuana are stances in the extreme minority. Now that I know for a fact that most of my fellow Washingtonians agree with me there's no need to be defensive about it. No need to pretend to not care when close-minded bigots sneer in the face of my beliefs. It wasn't until today when my state collectively declared this truth that I realized how tired I have been. Tired of constantly asserting a belief that feels unpopular has made me question myself for so many years, in so many ways. But now apparently it's.... normal for people who love each other to get married.
I am humble. I'm in shock. I'm feeling humble about democracy and I don't care how cheese-ball American and sentimental that makes me.
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