Imagine the possibilities
So, as it stands now, we are going to be negative 20 cents at the conclusion of our eBay auction.
That’s not a good thing when we are trying to generate income. If you remember, we are offering the opportunity for you to choose a t-shirt slogan for us to wear at Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity. You can find the auction here.
Since the bidding price stands at 5 cents currently, I would infer that there is a nary an individual reading this blog who cannot afford to have their creative skills put to a good cause.
So go ahead, help this guy achieve his dream. We still believe. Take up our rallying cry. Si, se puede.
On man-crushes and misplaced vitriol
I’m a major fan of Jon Stewart.
His quick wit, astute political observation and intelligent-yet-sophomoric penchant for pointing out the odd, illogical and downright outrageous nature of the current American political discourse resonates deeply within me. Many a night, I’ve set myself in a recliner and tuned in to Comedy Central at 11pm Pacific Standard Time to catch up on the news of the day, laugh a lot and watch ol’ Stewy do his thing. I love him for things like this, this and this. I even got my parents, who are apolitical for the most part, to join me. (It also helps that my favorite adult beverage sponsors the online version of the show.)
While I enjoy the humor and the silliness of a lot of the gags, I believe Stewart has hit on something that’s been missing from the conversation: logical, rational, pragmatic perspective. I appreciate the fact that he recognizes that there are important issues facing our country and his belief that we can have intelligent, thoughtful discussion on ways to solve those problems. That way of thinking is important, especially when guys like this and this are the loudest voices at the table.
And that’s why I’d like to go to DC: to be a part of a group of people who can respectfully disagree, discuss solutions and aren’t driven by fear to act out irrationally. I mean, shouting is really not good for the vocal chords.
Up for auction: Two T-Shirt slogans of your choice, to be worn at Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity. Proceeds go to benefit two charming fellows from California, who in the absence of full time employment, are seeking to make their way to Washington D.C. via ingenuity, tech savvy, and good ol’ fashioned work ethic. See http://odysseytothepoliticalmiddle.tumblr.com/ for details on their quest.
T-Shirts will be made by us, and will feature the slogan of your choice on the front, and your name on the back. We will wear them for the duration of the event, and feature the winning bidder on our Tumblr.
We do reserve the right to reject ideas deemed too vulgar, profane, racist, sexist, or otherwise derogatory. Rejected ideas will be met with a full refund, but please send us a question if you think your idea might be questionable.
Examples of quality slogans:
“I may disagree with you, but I am pretty sure you are not Hitler.”
“I am not afraid of Muslims, Tea Partiers, Socialists, Immigrants, Gun Owners or Gays. But I am afraid of Spiders.
what up, Oprah?
This is bigger than us. Seriously. It is. Call me naïve, out of touch, idealistic, unrealistic, optimistic, or stunningly handsome if you want. But I really think this about more than just 2 guys using a funny/weird/slightly narcissistic medium to try and get to Washington D.C. Let me explain. No, that is too much. Let me sum up.
In addition to our ridiculous man-crushes on Jon Stewart, I think the narrative we have the opportunity to create is one of hope, one that pushes back against poor logic and extremist rhetoric. I think it is one that speaks to the power of community, selflessness, and desire to reach a common goal. I also use the term “we” in a broader sense, included all those present.
I for one, as an individual passionate about politics, logic, reason, and the betterment of our local and national community, often find myself embittered, discouraged, and wondering if everyone has lost their collective mind. As Ben Gibbard articulates, “Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole… But while you debate half-empty or half-full, it slowly rises. Your love is going to drown.” This, from my perspective, captures my soul in regard to current politics. Increasing polarization, extremist rhetoric, and general lack of care for humanity breaks my heart, and threatens to drown many moderates’ love for this country, passion for political dialogue, and inclusion in the political process.
I find my encouragement from my personal interaction on a daily basis with people who don’t use indefensible logic, who don’t belittle those who oppose them, who care deeply, passionately, and reasonably about this country. I am challenged, stretched, and inspired by these individuals. Additionally, I am befuddled. While I certainly encounter the occasional individual completely rambling and incoherent, those encounters are far outnumbered by the many pleasant, important dialogues that happen weekly. Dominating the media conversation are stories that tells us that many people actually take Glenn Beck seriously, and that President Obama needs to not be so articulate. So this is an opportunity for us more reasonable and less inflammatory folks to have our voice heard for a change. And we won’t call names, draw nonsense on chalkboards, espouse hatred for Woodrow Wilson, or compare anyone to Hitler.
So, when the opportunity presents itself to make a statement (regardless if its for our own self-actualization as much as impact) about the presence of articulate, intelligent, and cognitively defensible individuals still impacting this country, it was natural to gravitate towards such. We want this process to be as much about our community, specifically locally, and our own statement that despite the overwhelming semantics devoid of mind or soul, we insist on rationality, logic, and attempting to seek common ground. Our experience tells me that there are many of you who share that perspective, and we want to be your ambassador to this event. We want to represent our community with pride. We want to give you an inside perspective of our experience, bring us all along for the ride, and reveal the truth about our little vibrant community. If you are already planning on going, we want to have a coffee/tea/beer with you, and toast the fight against insanity. We also think this process and medium we have chosen has inherent value, but that is for another day, another blog. If we didn’t change your mind, you can still call us naïve, out-of-touch, unrealistic, or ridiculously good-looking. It won’t hurt our feelings.
There it is. Why we want to go to this event. Oh, and Oprah might be there.
Bang-a-rang, Rufio!
And we are off! We have received our first generous work assignment. For the rate of $10 an hour, for 2 hours, we will be washing and detailing the car of one Kayla Haydock (yes, she’s related to me). Only 29 more jobs like that, and we will meet our goal. (For those mathematicians, that’s 1/30th. Or 3.3%, if you for some reason dislike fractions.)
A quick sidenote, by allowing us to work for you, and in a way represent you and our community at a great event, we will document (via photos/videos/spoken word/song/miming/rapping/jerking/teachingyoutodougie) your assignment to us and feature it here on our tumblr. That may be a silly incentive, but we want this experience to be shared, and a small token of that (and our appreciation) will be as much inclusion in this process as possible.
In the near future, we will be auctioning off T-Shirt slogans for shirts we will wear to the Rally to Restore Sanity, sign slogans for signs we will carry, and an opportunity to write several lines and sign a letter from the larger Fresno community to Mr. Jon Stewart himself.
Also, if you would like us to chant like this as you enter the boardroom for your next big sales presentation, as you steam the milk for the 19th skinny vanilla low-fat soy light cinnamon extra hot no whip latte of the day, or as you teach the joy of fractions to 4th graders, we would be happy to oblige.
Bang-a-rang rufio!
an intro to our odyssey
It started on a late night. We had nothing but giggles as our silver-foxed hero brought to light what had kept us on edge for several weeks: An announcement. One that brought passion to our hearts, smiles to our faces, and adventurous thoughts to our minds. One Jon Stewart was holding the Rally to Restore Sanity. With the political discourse consistently devolving to shouting, swearing, poor logic, abuse of “facts”, and rampant use of Hitler as a barometer of evil, the climate in America finds itself dominated by the polarization of political perspective. This struck a tone of resonance within us, and we desired to rise up and be counted (that’s what she said) as part of the majority of moderates. As Stewart compellingly (and handsomely) articulated “I might disagree with you, but I am pretty sure you are not Hitler.” We loved this idea, and desire to partake and support these ideals. With this as the mission, we had to be in attendance. Washington D.C. on October 30th, 2010 is our ultimate objective.
Unfortunately, like many of our fellow young adults, we were caught in the vortex many college graduates find themselves at this juncture in history. The absence of a full time job is our version of Odysesseus’ Polyphemus the Cyclops, Sirens, and Poseidon, all rolled into one epic ball of adversity. In this version of Homer’s Illiad & the Odyssey, with Jordan and I as some sort of creepy unified Odysseus, Jon Stewart serves as our Penelope. And we are in search of our Athena, who will assist in us realizing our dream of being reunited (or united for the first time, in this case) with our Penelope.
As previously stated, the absence of full-time employment for this epic narrative would defeat the most ordinary of men. But, alas, armed with in undefeatable sense of adventure, a youthful and endearing naivety, belief in unending hospitality and community, and impregnable work ethic, we declare this journey just beginning.
This is where you come in… The lump sum of $600 is necessary to reach our goal. In the spirit of true revolutionaries, we desire to obtain this money not through charity, but through good old-fashioned work ethic. What could be more American than that? There is no task too small. We are willing, able bodied, and in good health. We believe in a thing called love, and are confident that in the next thirty days, we can find enough people who believe in our cause, and will serve as our Athena, the Goddess who looked fondly upon Odysseus’s journey.
We are documenting our journey with a variety of media, including film, photos, and this blog. We seek individuals/businesses who need their lawns mowed, their dogs washed, their graduation photos taken, their wedding invites completed. Can you help us in our Odyssey? Let’s make this an epic tale.
