Friday, December 9. 2005F.U.C.K.U.S.A.A.O.K. or The Pursuit of Queer Joy Does anybody else think this country sucks?Why do we live in America? Why do we fight to have our rights protected? Why do we fight to have our rights recognized? Why fight to have it recognized that they were taken away and how they were taken and by whom? Why fight? Why struggle? Maybe to make this country a “better place” a “freer place.” But presumably if the brave people of the Land of the Free wanted to include us, they would have already done so. If we moved to Spain we could get married to whomever and our rights would be protected by law. If we moved to the Netherlands the same would hold true. If we moved to South Africa we could marry within a year. Hell, we could drive up to Canada, apply for citizenship and have more freedom than the freedom we’re fighting for down here. Assuming we're "fighting." Maybe we're just whining. After all, if the ship is really sinking, why not paddle for shore? Why stay? Because we don’t suffer enough. We are not persecuted in the ways people in other countries are persecuted, nor tortured in those ways. No. We can go to work, provided we aren’t fired from our jobs for being queer, which in most states is admissible. We can make money. We have buying power. We can buy things. Holiday presents and garlands and mistletoe and brandy and cinnamon cookies. So we don’t suffer nearly enough to prompt us to leave. We don't bleed because we're queer. We don't die in the streets, there is no Aushwitz for queers. And our desire for equality doesn’t trump our capitalistically induced contentment. If we couldn’t shop, couldn’t hold jobs, couldn’t live under a roof, couldn’t go to school, maybe we would leave, become exiles in another nation. Those who have come to this country seeking refuge (our parents, in some cases—our ancestors) have done so in pursuit or in flight or in both. Running towards economic opportunity; running away from persecution. People come here to make money or to experience freedom (although, often they are seeking freedom from poverty and class discrimination, so really it's pursuit of money). In any case, we all have a sense of why people come here. But why do they stay? Why do we?
Is it because America is number one? I’ve heard people say it. “This is the best country in the world to live in. It’s not perfect; nowhere is, but this is the best.” Not if you’re queer, or a person of color, or homeless, or too poor to afford health insurance, or an artist (that covers most of the other categories, true)…So why stay when there are so many countries out there that can give you what you want most, be it free health care, free higher education, gay rights, gay marriage, anti-GMO practices, government-subsidized studio space—whatever. Whatever you want that you don’t have here, you can find somewhere else. Now, if what you want is to save up money to buy a home to raise a family to retire and travel the world--and that's ALL you want--maybe this is the place for you. I mean you COULD make tons of money in Tokyo or Singapore, but there's not enough room there to conceivably work towards owning a home, plus you might have to take language lessons, so...this is definitely the country for you. Shop till you drop and pursue all the happiness-cum-retail you can afford. Me, I could be happier NOT here. Maybe. So I invite you, if you've gotten this far already, to drop a line, post a comment, let me know why staying in this country is better than leaving it. Or why leaving it is a great idea. And if you have the urge to comment on this post with a "get the fuck outta my country," please be so kind as to also state why YOU like it here so much. Thanks Trackbacks
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I hear you. Well, I've been saying for a while now that I'm ready to ship myself as a mail-order bride to some nice European or Canadian girl. Fact is, though, when push comes to shove, it is my country still, goddamit, and while I definitely don't rule out running if things get really bad, I don't think I feel like getting pushed out of my home by these fuckheads. They've done enough damage. So, aggravating as it is, it seems it's time once again (sigh) to wade in there and kick some ass.
Well said.
We stay and fight because those are our birthrights! No one is going to classify me less a man or less an American because of who I love. I stay and fight because of all the blood that has been spilt by generations of Americans so that I can demand the rights that are mine to demand. The American Dream will be mine, no matter the faith-based bullhsit of this President. I will not surrender because to do that is to say "you win" and I will never tell that moron he has won anything...because clearly he hasn't!
I plan to stay in this country only until such time as my partner and I both graduate from college at which time I plan to travel. I have never had a sense of home when it comes to being in a location... The only sense of home I have is when I am by myself or with my lover.
This country is too full of persecution, hypocrisy, and hate for me to be comfortable here. My partner has suggested eventually making our home in Amsterdam and that sounds like a pretty good idea to me right now. I totally understand the want to stay though... My family is here, my friends, not having to learn another language, get used to another culture, etc. I guess I'll just have to take life as it comes and go from there. This is a great blog and I hope that I am someday able to contribute to it.
#3
on
2006-01-11 11:51
Where else are you going to go and have the same freedoms or quality of life as you do here? Sure you can move to another country and have the right to marry your partner, but are you going to have the same quality of healthcare? Not likely since most who can afford it come here for their healthcare.
What about taxes and what your taxes get you? What about cost of living? Did you know that in the U.K. you have to have a license to own a television? I don't know what the costs are, but what if you can only afford on TV license? Are you going to give up some of the great things you have here just so you can legally marry your partner? I don't know about you, but I wouldn't trade the United States for any other country. I've only been to the U.K. and Mexico, but I doubt you could convince me otherwise. It's chic to say Fuck the U.S.A., I suppose, but rarely do you ever see anybody leave. If I had a dollar for every person who told me they were moving to Canada if W or Jeb got reelected, I'd be rich. But of course they never left. I'm sure you know that beyond America being home, you know that despite her flaws, it's still the best country. Otherwise, we wouldn't have people coming here in droves.
Thanks for your comments.
To think that this country is the best is far more in chic (esp. the plethora of flag-waving, demonizing-of-dissidence post 9/11) than to say Fuck the USA. Also, it's Fuck the IDEA that the USA is A-Okay. To think the US is the best by virtue of the number of immigrants we have is short-sighted. It's a position that fails to take into account the full benefits of citizenship of this country versus the full benefits of citizenship somewhere else. Most immigrants come here NOT because of political persecution, NOT because they like our health care system, but rather because our currency has a high global value and because we embrace cheap labor, ergo: immigrants can come here, work hard, make lots of money. The NY restaurant business would not exist without the waves of illegal immigrants that supply its need for delivery people, servers, bussers, and cooks. Most of these workers send money to their families back home. Often, they return to their families and open businesses in their homes with their illegally earned US wages. This system hardly indicates that we are THE BEST. But then, I don't think ANY country is THE BEST. I just think there are countries out there that cater more to my ideals of how a country should be run. Other countries have better systems for doing things than we do and by better I mean more equitable, less short-term oriented. Certainly, to be an insured American, for instance, affords you better quality health care than, say, being a Cuban citizen; however, not everyone can afford health care here. Those that can't afford it are worse off than a Cuban citizen, who may not have access to all the best meds (thanks in part to the embargo) but has access to a free doctor and free procedures with zero deductables. If health care for all is not something you care about, then I can understand why you might think the US is the best. But that attitude tends to silence dissidence and self-critique, which is the key to beneficial social change of any kind.
#4.1
on
2006-01-23 11:41
Exactly which country do you deem better than the U.S.?
As far as flag waving goes, you'd be pissed being at any football match in Latin America, Europe, Asia etc. As far as healthcare goes, regardless of whether you can afford it or not, you can still get damn good care. I dare say better than any of the socialist health countries. If you really bother to look, you can get health care in this country regardless of whether or not you can afford it. However, if you prefer to sit on your ass and wallow in how much "America sucks", you won't find any. And yes, I have worked in the medical field and have handled probably more patients who couldn't afford it than could. BTW, a lot of those patients who couldn't afford it and relied on Medicare tended to drive better cars or trucks than either myself or the doctors. You don't suppose that would have any bearing on costs, would it?
I'm curious: who do you know who's on Medicare who "drives a better car than you," much less "the doctors," and, more to the point, is this really the way your mind works? This is what concerns you? Car envy?
You say you've worked "in the medical field," but since you distinguish yourself from "the doctors," I'm taking it you're not a doctor. How exactly have you "handled" patients who couldn't afford health care? Does this mean that you helped them? If so, kudos. I'd like to hear more about this, really; about where and how one gets "health care" (that's a broad range you're talking about there) when one can't afford it. I know a number of people with chronic conditions and seriously inadequate coverage that would love some tips.
Car envy? Hardly. Merely an example of how some people, who can't work, are on disability and Medicare, supposedly on fixed incomes, can somehow manage to afford top of the line pick-ups and a new car almost every six months. There were quite a few of the patients who managed that. Wouldn't you consider it fraud if a person always has a new car, but are on assistance for their medicine? How about a guy on disability who supposedly can no longer drive a tractor-trailer, but he can climb in and out of a big new pick-up without any problem?
I was an EMT in Texas. I worked for a "retired" doctor who was a thoracic surgeon under Dr. Denton Cooley. In both the medical practice and my years 911, patients were treated the same. Further, I damn anyone who might suggest that patients might be "handled" differently based on whether or not they could afford it. |
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