the wonder of the wheel.

Today was reportedly the last day of Astroland at Coney Island.

Despite waking up feeling under the weather (despite it being a remarkably bright clear-sky day after Hanna passing through last night), i decided that i had to make the trek down to the end of the F-line to take my last chance of riding in a swinging car of the famous WonderWheel.

It's not the size of it that impressed me--I'm pretty sure the Texas Star is bigger, despite WW's claims to the contrary, and i rode that, uh, a couple of decades ago? (yeesh).
(it's no surprise, by the way, that Texas and NYC are competing for the biggest something. They are each other's doppelganger. )

Which reminds me of something else i've been noticing lately. But first--WW's uniqueness: Swinging Cars. I rode with a young couple and their 3-ish year old girl, who has some adventurous blood in her, 'cause she loved it. Her excitement made the ride all the better, reminding me that things like amusement parks really should be enjoyed with young people. Grown ups have forgotten too much, no matter how childlike we've managed to remain.

So speaking of entities too big for their britches competing for the top spot, whether or not they're actually playing the same game...

One of my co-workers was dissing Republicans the other day, and at one point said, "I'm assuming everyone here pretty much is on the same side of the issue..." and in response to the slight pause went on, "because i don't hear anyone reacting on the other side," or something to that effect. It rather dumbfounded me. And as i've thought about it, i've wished i had said (and now will say, when similar comments are made, which is not rare in my life), "well, some people aren't threatened by someone else having a different opinion, and they don't feel compelled to make personal put-downs in order to hold their opinion in tension with the majority. Some people refer to it as 'tolerance'."

I get really...irritated? bored? fed up? with people who call people who disagree with them, "stupid," "fascist," "marxist," "communist," "brainwashed," "duped," or best yet, "intolerant."

It's just so...so...(here i am teetering on doing the same myself, aren't i?)...but backing down to attempt a more neutral, less emotional response, it seems that the name-calling comes from fear that i might be wrong and so i encourage myself that i must be right, because "only stupid people would disagree with me. I mean, if smart people disagree with me, then i would have to reconsider, or conclude that I'm the stupid one! No way!"

But what i've noticed in the last 8 years is that there are lots of smart, compassionate people on both "sides" of the political race. And what disappoints me is feeling like i will have to align with the outspoken mean people (on both sides) if i align with a side.

You wanna know a secret? In the last presidential election, I DIDN'T VOTE FOR PRESIDENT.
Nope. I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to vote for either one, even knowing that it was the party and their lobbying interests i was electing more than the name. But i did vote. I researched every city & state candidate on the Austin docket, and voted in each of those races. Because I suspect that regarding my day-to-day life, the person making decisions about how to run my district's schools, how to take care of the streets in the poor neighborhoods of my city, how to oversee the water supply, they actually have more effect on me and my family, than the person representing the U.S. on trips to China...unless of course, i'm planning on a trip to China.

I know that i'm an idealist. Actually, an Idealist, with a capital "I". "INFP," to be more precise. It's very reassuring to read Keirsey's description of Idealists, because i can breathe a sigh of relief that it's not that i'm naiive or brainwashed that i have hope for better behavior from people. It's a documented set of personality traits that a significant number of people share--even though we are a small percentage of the population.

It's also helpful for me to read about the other types, to realize a) that other people actually think differently from me, not just different opinions--they have very different processes with information, and b) why they think i'm crazy.

What does this have to do with the show-down between Obama and Palin (because we all see that therein is the interesting competition)?


Consider Texas and New York City. After living in both, and being endeared to both, i say, they are imbued with the same energy--proud of their history, proud of their influence, proud of their importance, proud of their unique identities. It's just that in Texas, the people decided to live all spread out, and in New York City, they all live on top of each other. And there-in is perhaps the key difference. They apply all their pride and accomplishment and skill to living in their unique environments--which are extraordinarily different. And yet their attitudes are the same. And so they end up being enemies.

I wake up most days listening to NPR. I chose that station because the voices are generally calm, they are familiar, and basically, i can continue to sleep through them and gradually wake up slowly. It's also interesting the way the stories affect my late morning dreams...

This morning, they interviewed some politician/npr correspondent in Alaska. This person described Palin as someone who was skilled at maneuvering the media. Who was an extraordinarily powerful speaker. Who wasn't afraid to shake up her own party. And all the while, implying that these were weaknesses in her run for national office. That she was all show.

Now where have i heard that before? Wait, wait, i think i'm recalling something...

I mean really.

For me, what i suspect this race will come down to (and i will definitely vote for the president this time), is going to be which faces, which voices do i believe will be most effective in waking up the public (i refrain from saying "American" because i know that includes, well, another continent, as well as Canada, but gosh darn it, it is just awkward to say "United Statesian!")
and motivating us to take some positive action in our communities, the local places where we live and walk and drive and work and play.

Because even though it seems inevitable that we will soon all be couch potatoes, doing everything "virtually," I really think that would be bad for humankind (not to mention national defense). And my fear with one more grey-haired white man in the president's seat (and face it, Ronnie was grey haired), who is going to wake up? No matter what comes out of his mouth.

What impresses me about Obama is not that i think he's "right" on the issues and the others are "wrong." The fact is, i really have little belief left that who is president really has the capacity to make much difference on "the issues" (whatever that means). Ok, i'll give you choice of Supreme Court Judge. But this whole American (sorry) thing is an experiment! We are NOT on the way to perfecting government. We're just as messed up, power-hungry, self-protective, lazy, driven, as all the other people in every other governmental system. And no government is going to fix what is broken in the people who run them. Just ain't happening.

So what i conclude from that is, even though the stakes are high, they're not that high. Let's try something different. Let's see how it affects the population of Black men in our country to see the face of a Black man on a coin.

So this time, it doesn't come down to who do i think is most right (there is no "right"! there is only "let's try it this way. i think it will work better.")

As i said, i'm an Idealist. This is what i do. In fact, it's my role in society. You need me to stand where i stand. And i need you to stand where you stand (all this, you will tell me is my own perspective). That's fine.

I don't need you to agree with me.



Riding the Wonder Wheel, i took two great circles. At the top of the ride, i could see Manhattan to my right, the Atlantic to my left. The great harbor that Stuyvesant espied and determined was an excellent spot for a trading post. The great harbor that beckoned many of our fathers and mothers to a new life, a threshold leaving behind (for many forever) their homeland, their heritage, their brothers, sisters, parents, even spouses. I could see for miles up there. Like looking out over the hill country from Bee Caves. Like driving down the faultline on I-20 out of Fort Worth.