How politics is like Christmas

[LittleClarkie]

Some folks are looking for the brand new NEXT BIG THING. A pol fresh out of the box, with no scuff marks yet and no visible defects. Oh but just wait til you've played with him a bit.

On the other hand, some of us have our Velveteen Rabbits. Their fur is a bit rubbed off in spots and they aren't as spiffy as when when we first got them. We know where all the imperfections and defects are, but we love them anyway.

I still fail to see what's so magical about new, and unknown. The unknown becomes known soon enough. And the new toy is never quite as cool as you thought it was going to be before you got a chance to look at it up close.



(This little post is brought to you from someone who's gotten exactly 8 hours of sleep in three days. Hopefully someone somewhere will think it makes a weird sort of sense. )

[sandnsea]

1. Velveteen Rabbit is my favorite

I just made a wall plaque for my niece, she just got her masters in psychology and it's my favorite bit of wisdom. You do good on no sleep!

[Leftisalwaysright]

2. Makes Sense...

I get it...

[JI7]

3. great post

[LittleClarkie]

16. Thanks dear.

It's been bugging me for a while, the "new and different" concept as it applies to potential candidates and our Dem leaders in general. It strikes me as lazy, as dealing with something new is easier than dealing with what you have.

[Mind_your_head]

4. Doing the hard work of 'carrying through' on things that matter.....

therein lies the beauty.....

*sweet*

Great post! (and get some decent sleep now, will ya! )

[LittleClarkie]

5. Thanks. As for the sleep

I hope to get home at a decent hour tonight. But I work for a publisher of church bulletins, and it's Christmas hell week. The money will be good if I'm alive to see the check (grin)

[Mind_your_head]

6. Merry Christmas, LittleClarkie

Peace on Earth

M_Y_H

[last1standing]

7. LOL! It makes sense but you forget one important point.

That threadbare velveteen rabbit is only lovable to its owner. Everyone else just thinks it's a dirty old stuffed animal. One might even say its become a "security blanket" for the child long after it should have been put out in the trash (or the fire as the case may be).

The problem with analogies is that they're always so easy to tear apart upon close inspection. Get some sleep when you can and try to dream of the nursery magic Fairy.

[Mind_your_head]

8. Yes, love is the most important point

too bad you don't want to experience it.

[last1standing]

9. No need to get offensive.

I was just pointing out a hole in an analogy, not trashing love or any possible candidate, old or new. I thought the point of this board was to discuss things, not just vacantly agree or make snippy posts toward those who don't.

[Mind_your_head]

10. Who doesn't love the Velveteen Rabbit????

The whole point of the story is that the stuffed bunny is loved (used) to death....that's the point!

It's not a 'hole' ..... it's the point of the story!

I wasn't/am not being snippy. *sigh*

[last1standing]

11. Everyone loves their own velveteen rabbit, not someone else's.

My wonderful toy companion is your piece of trash. I was just trying to show that hole in the analogy (hopefully, in a somewhat fun manner).

This is a cute thread and I don't want to bring an argument into it so why don't we just let this go?

[Mind_your_head]

12. Something you can't deal with....."the real meaning of love".......

"let's just let this go"......

okay ~ your loss.

bye.

[last1standing]

13. I never thought I'd be bullied into someone else's concept of "love" ...

in a velveteen rabbit thread.

Just goes to show what some people are capable of. Looks like I'll have to take the surest route to avoid this kind of discussion with you in future.

[marions ghost]

14. ignore bullies

don't mess with someone with an obvious axe to grind... Over what? Over nothing. They love to draw you into conflicts over trivia.

Even though the OP's analogy may not be exact, it's general enough to make the point, IMO.

The big picture--why do Americans build their political heroes up so much and deny their human flaws?
Look how George Jr. was elevated far beyond reason. Are we starved for leaders to admire, to believe in, to have 'love' for, in the sense of trusting that they will work in our best interests, ie. for the benefit of society instead of for their own personal gain? Are we so starved that we ignore our own warning flags and lose any sense of judgment when presented with our candidates by the Deciders?

The OP's analogy (loosely speaking) is valid. We are programmed to look for the next new exciting thing.
Never mind that we don't know a thing about these receptacles of projection. Soon after adoption of this new object of our affection, for most of us, the unnatural sheen wears off and reality sets in.

[LittleClarkie]

15. And also, being told your not so new political hero old and should be tossed out

which I wouldn't mind if there was a good reason for it except that he/she has been around the block and we need something "new".

Thanks for not being too terribly literal. I was being somewhat poetic (easier to do when you're sleep deprived, I find.) And I think our friend is right in that others look at my Velveteen Rabbit and don't see what I see.

But I would suggest they didn't look hard enough, and only saw the superficial.

I'm sure most of us who are somewhat partisan in who we like wonder "Now, why don't people see what I see?"

[last1standing]

17. I liked your post and thought it was cute.

I was just trying to say that no matter what you see in a stuffed animal (or candidate) some others will never see it, regardless of how important it is to you. I thought I was being somewhat fun with it. I really didn't expect to be attacked in a velveteen rabbit post and I'm wishing I hadn't posted at all now because it ended up ruining a nice thread. Sorry about that.

[LittleClarkie]

19. It's cool

No worries.

[last1standing]

18. You're absolutely right, ghost.

I won't have that problem with them again.

I also agree with your statement about building up our political heroes. We crave heroes in this country and can't seem to acknowledge that they have their flaws. That's a shame as I think you learn more about a person in how they handle their weaknesses than in how they exploit their strengths.