What I forgot to mention yesterday about Stewart's (and Colbert's, remember, gotta have both) rally was WHY it is so important, and why it is a milestone. Or at least I hope it turns out to be.
The rally is for the forgotten normal Americans who are not completely polarized on the issues, and who do not demonize those they disagree with. That's like, 80 percent of us. Problem is, the normal ones get forgotten for people like Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh. We're almost to chill that we are hidden by the ones who need to chill.
I have to admit something: When I first heard about the mosque being built near ground zero, my first thought was: well that's a stupid place to want to have it. But then I realized that this was a stupid thing for people to fight about and burn bibles over. It wasn't the Muslim religion that made those terrorists fly their planes into the World Trade Center, as much as they hide behind it. It was the people, and the truth is that there are bad, bad people in every religion.
People are constantly looking for scapegoats, and anecdotes or situations that will prove what they believe is the right thing to believe. Why is it always about that? And here I am, saying this after getting drunk last week and getting in a fight with my ex boyfriend about why I think it's ridiculous for him to be a Jehovah's Witness. I shouldn't have done that, because everyone's entitled to believe what they believe.
I just think that organized religion, and what comes from those beliefs, is what has people at such protest against one another.
What is it about human nature that we all feel such the need to form these cults, whether it's a religion or a political party? It seems that neither are quite helping with the overall way the people in the world are relating to one another. I don't think God meant for us to get quite so stubborn about it all. Treat your neighbor as you would yourself, isn't that some sort of biblical guideline?
Is it not enough to just have your beliefs and stay true to them? Stop wasting your time demonizing others and getting so hyped up on the wrong issues already.
A few good points I want to highlight from an opinion column from John Avlon, who I think has the right idea about the rallys:
(Here's the link if you want to read more)
This isn't a concealed campaign rally for either party. It's a counterprotest against the rising tide of conformity that causes hyperpartisans to demonize people with whom they disagree. It's the anti-demagogue Saturday on the mall; people taking to the streets and yelling, "Be reasonable!"
And what I've thought for years...
Media manipulation by professional partisans on both sides has become so predictable that satire has emerged as the last, best way to cut through the spin cycle.
It's no wonder Stewart was voted as the "most trusted man in news" by TIME magazine.
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