Frustrating times...

Not for me personally, just society as a whole. There was an interview on the radio this morning with the guys involved with the Boulder public library 'instances'. In short, a few weeks after 9/11 a staff member (senior staff) asked and had gotten approved to hang a flag in the library. The library! A flag in a library shouldn't be such a huge ordeal...it's a friggin library.... Anyway, someone who was very anti-american protested and the same lady he had gotten approval from, resended her approval and denied it. This is after everyone had been told and most everyone was happy about it and so on. Anyway, fast forward a bout two years or less or soemthing (not sure exactly) and we suddenly see an art exhibit of multi-colored dangling 'dildos' hanging where they had considered putting the flag. Now, I'm all for art and what not, but when dangling dildo's are approved and the flag is not...that is just ridiculous. And it's not just that, but that it was prominately displayed right in front of the children's section! Now, if I'm presented with two choices to display to children, which is the better choice? A bunch of dildo's, or a flag? Which one inspires the better emotion....? I'm saying flag here....but I'm also proud of the bunch of kids at some schools here who pulled off a walk-out and picketed their schools because they outright banned all flags, including the flag that represents our country and what it's all about. OK, so maybe even that I can somewhat not get riled up over but they also banned any student from wearing the combination of red, white and blue. No other flag color combo, just that one. That makes me mad. We live in America...if you hate it so much that you think it's symbol and flag is offensive..then get out. We have to have some piece of pride for our country. I'm far from being on the bandwagon of patriots, but as a society (american) we have become so individualistic that we've almost lost all concept of the things we have in common and the things that make this country great to live in. Not that it's perfect, not that it's right, not that I agree with everything we do (I mean, that's the idiots we elect right?). Plus, if there is anything I admire than people that actually stand up for this country and try to make it better, it's the people that actually leave because they don't like it. Both are standing up for what they believe in! anyway, getting off my soapbox - the funny thing is that some other guy took it upon himself to steal the dildo's and put a flag in it's place with a card that said 'god bless america' and his address :D That was funny. If they'd displayed both, that would be more acceptable. Dildo's hanging in front of kids...well...not an idea i'm fond of. If it's attached to the rest of the male body - then ok, that's fine! I'm just thinking of the 4-5 year olds looking at this exhibit called "Hang them out to dry" and how mom's like me are going to explain it....(personally, I'd just use the 'it's art' explanation but it's stil not something i'd like Tiana to be staring at just yet...I mean she's not old enough to understand it all, but is old enough to be curious and I don't want her getting the wrong idea about men and their parts....)

Oh, and the same lady in all this was quick to use Kwanza ribbons for the pens (or something like that) but would not allow any christian symbols or ..hints... What is our society coming to? I'm all for expressing all cultures and ethnicities (anyone who knows me knows that) but we can't at the same time stamp out the majorities. The best analogy I can think of is in Chasing Amy - you can't open yourself up to the other side to expand your choices/experience when you at the same time close off the other half. It's hypocritical and leaves you just as one-sided as you were before. So dammit, if you feel the urge to push Kwanza on people, then push Christmas too!! Equality in expression!!!