Just when I thought I couldn't be more of a cynical bitch than I already am, I went to a 4th of July parade. The parade was hosted by a small town near where my husband and I grew up - a place where most of our families still live.
Most people LOVE parades, get excited about parades, and look forward to parades.
Parades piss me off.
I've decided this parade in particular made me angry because of most of the parade's content... and the fact that it's on the fourth of July... and the fact that it is a parade in a rather conservative, religious, country-ish small town. Okay, I'll just say it - it's a town full-a-rednecks.
The parade yesterday seemed to consist primarily of Christian church/school floats, Conservative political statements, farm equipment, EIGHTEEN WHEELERS (Yes, as in semi-trucks. At a parade. With small children running in the street and grabbing candy. I. Don't. Get. It.) and a few out-of-costume Klu Klux Klan members. Oh, and there were a lot of horses. I dig the horses. Although, I do tend to feel sorry for them. They usually look like they are going to keel over from heat stroke and are frothing at the mouth or on other places on their horse-bodies. Eeew. Horse froth.
The thing that was really rubbing me the wrong is what I see as OVER-PATRIOTISM. Sure, we should all be a bit patriotic, and thankful we live in a free country on Independence Day, but good GOD already, people, do we have any humility? I have had it with "GOD BLESS THE USA!" stuff. Look around, folks. We're all overweight, happy, driving SUV's, living in huge homes, and eating bags of candy at a parade while many, many other people on this planet are starving and don't have cars or homes.
If you ask me, God has already blessed us. Stop asking for him to bless us more. I WISH, oh, how I WISH somebody would raise a sign that says "GOD BLESS THE INNOCENT IRAQIS!"
Are we so selfish here in the Almighty U.S. of A. that all we can think about is how much we want God to bless us? Is anyone else besides me thinking about all the men, women, and children we're killing overseas for oil money, oh, um, I mean, weapons of mass destruction, WHOOPS! not that either, I mean, because the trrrrrrrists that flew the planes into the twin towers are from Iraq, ooopsie, sorry again, wrong country, they were from Afghanistan. Because we're promoting occupation and a forced government freedom and democracy to a country that doesn't even want us there, and any civilian, oh, um, I mean insurgent who stand up to us deserves to die...
Okay, okay. Let's face it. We're at war cause Saddam Hussein was a really, REALLY, really baaaaaad man.
Does anyone else find this all a bit maddening? Anyone?
Well, after yesterday's parade, I felt like I was the only mad hatter in the bunch. I felt like a complete outsider. There was even a big W float that went by and I hated it so much I wanted to use my own body as a ramming tool by running as fast as I could head first right into it.
And then there was the "Right to Life" group. It was a large group of women walking down the street all pushing empty strollers. Meant to symbolize all the babies that are not here today due to abortion. As they walked by, I thought to myself: "Hmm. I wonder if I could have a float next year - a condom float. Rather than candy, I'll throw out condoms!" Maybe I could be behind the Right to Life group in the parade. They can walk by with the empty strollers and their ABSTINENCE ONLY messages, and I'll bring up the rear with my condoms!
"IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE AN ABORTION, DON'T GET PREGNANT IN THE FIRST PLACE, DUMB ASSES!" can be my message. Maybe I'll wrap the condoms in an imitation high school or university diploma and put, "If you use THESE, maybe you could get one of THESE."
And then there were just The Rednecks in the parade. I AM NOT LYING HERE: There was beat up old pick up truck carrying 3 or 4 rowdy young men in the back of the truck. There was no signage on the truck - no political message, no candy throwing, no beauty queen sitting stately - just a truck and some country-ish looking young white fellas that were hollarin' reel loud, like they was lookin' for summun ta' hang. Lookin' to have a lynchin'.
I was scared. And I'm white.
I guess I don't know what to expect from a parade. Fire trucks? Marching bands? Monkeys on unicycles?
My sister, who recently moved to Chicago was home to visit for the weekend, and I saw her after the parade yesterday.
"Have you been to any parades in Chicago? What are they like? Were there tractors and empty baby strollers?" I asked her.
"Umm, there were a lot of transvestites." she happily replied.
"Transvestites. Hmm, yes, sounds different that the parade I was at today." I said.
"Well, it was a gay pride parade." she added.
I have made a conscious effort (up until today) to avoid going on about my political views on this blog. I wanted to focus these writings on parenthood and my experiences as a mother trying to balance career and child-rearing. But, what I've found is, politics and religion go hand in hand with thinking about how I'm going to raise my child. It gets difficult to keep these issues separate.
The fact is, I'm afraid for my daughter. I don't know if I want to raise her in a community, or even a country who is so vain we don't even stop to think about what we're doing to the rest of the world. So, what's the answer? Move to France? Maybe. Throw condoms out in a parade in protest? Possibly next year.
I hate to be so pessimistic like this and I'm sad that I can't even enjoy the 4th of July like I used to as a kid. Sparklers don't even make me excited anymore. They just make me want poke my eyes out with them so that I won't have to look at another horribly ugly and tacky patriotic t-shirt.
