Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Who Designed Your Dress?

Arianna Huffington gets around, and she publishes this account of meeting Condaleeza Rice at a party a couple of days ago. After running through a half dozen questions in her head she decides that the only unguarded answer she could expect would be the answer to, "who designed your dress?" Condi answers and they have a brief friendly chat about fashion.

The blog isn't as notable as the comments section, in which most people are screaming mad; either at Arianna for not attempting to kill Condi when she had the chance or for writing about this little moment instead of something important; or at Condi for destroying the world and for wearing an unflattering dress. The remarks are all coming from liberals so far. The angry left.

This disturbs me because the right has risen to its current position mostly by the careful use of anger, hate and devisive tactics. We're the left; we're hippies. Our strengths are feeling the other guys pain and engaging in dialogs. We throw our money at problems but we never, ever, bash them with sticks. It's worrisome to see us angry enough take action because we're not good with anger. We'll hurt ourselves and others.

See, I think it's great that A & C can talk fashion in the middle of the most polarized political climate ever. Condaleeza Rice is a person. George Bush is a person. Even Dick Cheney is one. If we demonize our enemies and refuse to understand them, we make bad strategic decisions. I don't have any problem with sharing the planet with the Bush family as long as they aren't in charge of any aspect of my life. Otherwise they all seem like interesting folks and I'd have them over for dinner.

Just kidding. Not Cheney obviously. I'd hate to watch a man succomb to angina pectoris right in front of me. It is just a matter of time after all.

The point is, hate the decision, not the Decider.

No comments: