My Geeky Soapbox

I don't think politics and geekdom mix.

But I feel inclined to comment on yesterday's election.

Warning to youngsters: this post contains naughty language. Check with your parents before reading. I trust you.

First, what the fuck, America?

For any international readers, yes, we did just elect a shaved orangutan in a business suit to our highest political office. Our stock markets are already crashing. But I want to put some context and perspective in.

Donald Trump running for the Republicans, the closest equivalent for the Democrats might be running someone like Jon Stewart, Bill Maher or even (gasp!) Michael Moore. Incidentally, the only one of those three I personally think would make a good president is Stewart. Maher has all of "the Donald's" Islamaphobic tendencies. And Moore is just as eager to give NAFTA and other similar trade agreements the finger. Moore would be acting out of a not unfounded but misguided nostalgia for the old Rust Belt. And Maher is just being an atheist.

Here's the sad part. The Democrats knew a media savvy political outside could win. Barack Obama did it! Hillary and the Democrats in general just kind of assumed that Trump was shooting himself in the foot and sat back.

But here's the worst part. In my home state of Arizona, there was a ballot referenda to raise the minimum wage. It passed by almost 60%. Trump didn't even get that many votes. What does that mean? A lot of people that voted for Trump also voted to raise the minimum wage. So poor people voted for him. And early analysis of the disaster he calls economic policy indicates those are the people standing to be hurt the most.

A much wiser man than me once said, "You can fool all of the people some of time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can never fool all of the people all of the time."

And let me tell you, poor rural white folks (if any of you happen to stumble upon and read this blog largely about a hobby you decried as devil worship 30 years ago), you have been fooled, big time! I could link to all the stories of horrible stuff Trump as said and done and a lot of you are writing off as him just being "off the cuff" and "unscripted" and other nonsense. But this is a personal opinion and creative non-fiction blog, not a journalistic one. I will tell you this much: he is cozying up with a man whose evil is so over-the-top and cliche that he can legally be declared an 80s cartoon villain.

So let me tell you the most important life lesson to get out of table-top role-playing: life is not a zero-sum scenario. This narrative you tell yourself and that Trump played on of how the inner city blacks and Hispanics are getting all the breaks and you're getting shafted is a fucking lie. It's always been a fucking lie. Warren Beatty made a movie in the 90s where he raps about how much of a lie it is. To paraphrase the pivotal scene: he says poor white people have more in common with poor black people than they do with rich white people. And it's the fucking truth.

I used to live not too far from Camden, NJ. Now I live on the outskirts of Benson, AZ. Both places have drug problems. Both places are economically recessed. The differences are in the number of people in these places and the color of their skin. They use the same (or mostly the same) food stamps, welfare, Medicaid, and social security. But people in places like Camden fail to vote blue because the candidate doesn't have the same skin color. And people in places like Benson vote red because the candidate claims to go to the same church they do. The result? Those food stamps, that welfare, that Medicaid, get's eroded. I know it's more complex than all of that, but the final point is: let's forget that church and sexuality thing, rural whites, and they aren't the same color as me thing, urban blacks. Because in a D&D game, that street-savvy Rogue and that wilderness-wise Ranger are more awesome together. Nothing is going to get better until we do things like enact laws to protect laborers and labor unions, provide socialized medicine for everyone in this country (fucking Cuba can do that!), and shift the tax burdens off of the lower and middle classes and a little more onto those oh-so-put-upon rich white people. Because when those things happen, both the Rogues and the Rangers level up faster and find more loot. So to be a little sappy and extend that metaphor: together you guys can fucking kill that rich white people dragon pissing on ALL our lawns. Right now those dragons are just going to keep telling you that lie that the Rogues and the Rangers are stealing your Xp and Loot.

Some idiots are already talking about moving to other countries. Even if I could, I'd rather stay and fight. I chose to have one of my major internal organs surgically removed. Before I did, despair ruled my every choice. It won't and can't anymore.

Plus I'm kinda stoked that that fucker Arpaio is finally out of office.

Next time I promise to get back to the geek and leave the politics behind.