Fashion Statement

I happen to believe that people should support any political candidate in any manner they please, as long as it is not offensive or someone could get hurt, obviously. If a person wants to wear a button showing support, so be it. If they would like to put up a yard sign or a bumper sticker, by all means do it!

I myself have been an avid supporter of Senator Barack Obama's Presidential run since he announced his candidacy back in February. I support him, with buttons, a bumper sticker, blogs, and engaging in healthy debate. I do not however look down on someone who is supporting the opposition in a healthy way. I may question their motives, but I have plenty of friends who support McCain, and I will make my points to them and call it a day. Let's be honest with each other here, it's pretty hard to change someone's political beliefs. There are times where I may criticize the candidates because of their stances on issues or statements they may make in the media. but not the people who choose to support the candidate in a healthy way. If a person, whether here at work or at the casino was wearing a McCain/Palin button I would not make a point to bring that up. I have been very cordial with people who are supporting Senator John McCain's bid for the White House. In fact my father and I had multiple conversations with a couple from Wisconsin who happened to be visiting Washington DC the same time we were.

Alright so here is my point. Today at work I wore my Shepard Fairey Barack Obama t-shirt, because Sarah Palin spoke at a rally not a mile away from my office. Now let's keep in mind my opinion on the matter that I discussed earlier. People who support Senator Barack Obama came up to me and told me how awesome the shirt was and asked where I had gotten it. However there was one person who did not share the same praise that everyone else did. Instead, they laughed and asked me why I was wearing the shirt. I want to explain that I have previously attempted to discuss politics with this person, mainly supply capitalism, and they were a little lost and started with the name calling that most uninformed people revert to when confused.

I think that we as Democrats are the more respectful of the two parties and I could be wrong. What I witness on a daily basis shows me that we are respectful to the opposition, tolerating ignorance but not racism or hatred. We ensure that we respect the rights of others to support who they want. Now had I gone into work wearing something totally obnoxious and ran around spreading lies about Senator John McCain, then what this person told me would be totally warranted. I JUST WORE A FUCKING T-SHIRT!



photo credit Karmloop.com