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Against Ohio
by David Haskell
November 2004
Fuck Ohio. Fuck the 2.8 million citizens who made that state red, and fuck everyone who couldn't summon the effort to vote, 136,483 of whom could have sent George W. Bush back to Texas. As for everyone in Ohio who voted for John Kerry, thank you from the bottom of my heart. But if you look deep within and discover that you didn't do enough to persuade your office colleagues, college buddies and church congregations to vote, then fuck you, too.
Some say that moral values mattered more in this election than jobs, healthcare, the war in Iraq and our response to the threat of terrorism. As a gay 25 year-old who lives in New York City and believes himself to be a man of good morals, I find myself wondering for the first time if I'm an American. I look at the two men who ran for President and the campaigns they spearheaded, and I can't help but find that one of them represents a country that bares no resemblance to the America I know.
Obsessed with winning the War on Terror, George W. Bush has proven well adept at making his America terrified. Terrified that Hollywood movies exert more influence on our children than Sunday services. Terrified that the institution of marriage will crumble in the face of committed homosexuals. Terrified that reaching out to our allies will be perceived as a sign of weakness. Terrified that the “elite media” will brainwash us into becoming an honorary member of the European Union. Terror motivated the votes of more Ohioans than self-interest, and as a result, a state where job figures dropped, healthcare costs rose and the number of uninsured citizens skyrocketed has opted for more of the same. Red America is on Red Alert.
Well, Ohio, I give up. Here in the capitol of Blue America, I'm going to be just fine. I have no student loans, and in four years, I bet I'll be taking advantage of the newest round of Bush tax cuts. I'm not worried about health insurance because I already have mine. I have no need for prescription drugs from Canada because I'm not sick. My job won't be outsourced because I was trained well enough to compete in a global economy. I'm not fighting in Iraq because even if I wanted to, the Army wouldn't let me. I barely notice gasoline prices because I don't own a car. And over the next four years, as the deficit, interest rates, prescription drug costs, unemployment rolls, gas prices and death tolls rise, my boyfriend and I will remain relatively unaffected, content to watch characters come out on prime time television. Red Alert America may have won another four years in the White House, but they remain terrified. How long will it be until the OC's Seth puts the moves on Ryan?
David Haskell is Editor-in-Chief of Topic magazine. He can be contacted at David.Haskell@ topicmag.com.
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