When someone says, "I'm a banker," or "I'm a teacher," I translate that to "I am a person whose job is 'banker'." This is not a trivial thing. It's a matter of identifying and identity.

That's why I never say I'm a Democrat. I'm (currently) a member of the Democratic Party.

This political crap we're dealing with, the bifurcation (this is a Progressive site, so I'm allowed to use big words) of the elites on both sides, sits on top of a population that uniformly

• does not want to see people starve
• does not want to see homelessness
• does not want to see anyone broken by catastrophic illness
• does not want a substandard education
• does not want to find themselves vulnerable to the above

Ultimately, if Republicans and Southern Christians (who I suspect are less of an issue than we are led to believe) choose to rein in there rather rabid leadership and vote for their own interests I will be perfectly satisfied. But since the major Republican virtue is obedience to the party line it's hard to expect help from that direction. And the Religious Right's leadership have an interesting advantage: when their flock is damaged by politicians following their leadership's dictates they can simple tell the flock they are being tested. And they are…but the test is to see if you understand life well enough to see through the false teachings of people who would be the ruler of the world (or almost as bad, the teaching of those who do not see through the false teachings).

And the root of all the social crap we're going through isn't religion and political parties anyway. It's the fact that change is coming, change on an Industrial Revolutionary scale…maybe an Agricultural Revolutionary scale…and our social rituals can't keep up. Our ability to change circumstances outstrips our ability to respond to the changes we ourselves demand. The conservative "whoa, slow down" response is almost a reflex.

Right now (because everything eventually changes) the leaders of the Republican Party are accelerating that change. The intent is to reshape the world in its image while we are in this moment of great instability…they have chosen their response to the change.

And right now (because everything eventually changes) the leaders of the Democratic Party are accelerating that change. The intent is to make things hurry up and finish being what they're going to be anyway, to get to the other side of this moment of great instability…they have chosen their response to change.

Both responses look past the moment where actual people are dealing with the actual events. Both responses are actually inhumane.

But.

I prefer the progressive perspective. I prefer wood grain to geometric patterns. I prefer bonsai trees to those trained and cropped into globes and cubes.

And I understand that just as many people prefer geometric patterns to wood grain as the other way around. And I understand your appreciation for your cube-cropped tree takes nothing from my bonsai tree.

So I find the idea of removing my options so you can not have your discipline tested is unacceptable to me.