Alex Josephy, a lovely forty something young man, is running for Mayor of Oregon City. One town away from me, but quite a bit more 'purple' than Milwaukie/Portland.
My feisty, political friend, Cheryl, gathers up the local Deocratic Precinct Committee people to hold signs on the streets for Alex, a fellow Democrat and a " Bernie Sanders" Democrat at that. The election is only 3 days away.
Because of all the above, I find myself on a Saturday afternoon on the sidewalk outside a shopping center containing, among other things, a Safeway and a McDonalds. There is lots of car traffic, and I hold my hand painted sign in various angles so drivers can see it. At first I sing songs to myself to make the time pass. The initial feeling is one of weird exposure to this general public in cool, gusty March air. March is a strange month to me. The most transition of any transition season we have in the Northwest. There is more light, some flowers, and the air still has the biting edge of winter.
After about an hour of standing I begin to feel sort of equanimous. About 6 cars so far have honked in support. I appreciate that.
Then, the unpleasant exchange suddenly comes. A middle aged guy in an SUV with a young man in the passenger seat opens his window, leans over the young man, who I assume to be his son and says " Did you know that he (Alex) is an Marxist Communist?" I squint at him, feeling the oh shit, beam me out of here internal response.
He reiterates, as though I haven't responded appropriately like he expected me to say " Really??"
"Ya he's a Marxist Communist". In my head I am thinking, has he ever read Marx? I don't respond, except to slightly bow my head and shake it. Then he says, " Did you know that? You should educate yourself." I guess I should have gone for my masters instead of just staying with a BA.
He turned the corner, his son in tow who watched all this. I wondered how the son would turn out as he grew up. I hope he goes another way, like many of us in the 60's who saw our parents politics as an impediment to real world issues. For one, Alex believes climate change is a serious, pressing problem.
After that encounter I try to ground myself. I even send the car man some feeble Mettha.
Later I composed some snappy fantasy comebacks. They are only a fantasy, because silence was the right thing. But here are some possibilities:
"Oh, you mean a communist like Vladimer Putin?"
" You know, Alex is my god son"
" Tell me more about Marx, have you read his work?"
I will continue to try for new responses, every time I come up with one I feel a little more release of the negative energy, misinformation, strident resistance to progressive change, the embracing of dangerous lies, etc.
I'm still trying to send some mettha, glad to be back in my warm house off the sidewalk, toasting myself with a well earned glass of wine.
