They Don't Need A Freak Show Anymore

You know what is supremely wonderful about the circus? The other people are just as fantastic as the acts. Especially when you go to the circus in Newark, NJ.

I mean, it was Ringling Brothers, so of course the circus itself was fabulous. Except for the tigers and the elephants. I just feel like they're looking at us, trying to say, "I am a majestic beast, dammit! Of course I can roll over, motherfucker." For some reason I don't get the same impression from the llamas and miniature ponies. Anyway, there was much jumping and flipping by amazing athletes, 6 motorcyclists in the globe cage (I remember when there were only 2 - and that was super cool) and clowns that didn't freak me out too much.

But I can't say the same about the people watching the circus. They freaked me out A LOT. For example, after standing in line to enter the arena for a good 10 minutes, where they repeatedly stated "Have your tickets out!" over the loudspeaker, some people still could not grasp this. As soon as they got to the front of the line, they opened their bags and SEARCHED for their tickets. I don't know if they were all extremely stupid or extremely thoughtless, but the result was the same - more standing in line for the rest of us.

Speaking of stupidity, shouldn't seat 1 be at the start of a section? Like let's say you're sitting in section 3 and you are in seat 1 in row whatever, wouldn't you expect seat 1 to come first? Like if you walked from section 2, wouldn't you expect section 3's seating to start with 1? It doesn't. Unless you go backwards from section 4. And boy, did the ghetto fabulous usher who grabbed my tickets tell me how dumb I was for assuming seat 1 in section 3 would be closer to section 2. Not that I actually wanted her help, because I can read numbers. And not that she really helped, she just yelled that I should have come in the other way. Considering that there were about 20 people in the entire section at that point, I think her bitchiness was unjustified. Which is why I snapped, "I know EXACTLY where I'm going" and gave her a totally snooty look.

I also gave a snooty look to the guy 3 rows in front of us with his electronic cigarette. Not that I have a problem with cigarettes that don't harm others, but who really can't make it through the circus without a cigarette? Do you think he also brings it into the shower? He also sported hair gel and tight black jeans - stuff that was cool when we were both young. That might have prejudiced me against him. The clincher was when he rolled he sleeve up and had his wife apply cream to his new tattoo. I have nothing against tattoos per se; I have two of my own. And it's because I have tattoos of my own that I can say no one needs to apply cream that often. What a douche.

And speaking of douches, a special Jerseygirl shout out goes to the asshole who thought it was funny when his kid smacked the lady in front of him with his sword. I was embarrassed when my kid smacked the ladies in front of him with his sword, thank you very much.

And on a sadder note, both of my children want to be clowns. They were entranced the whole time, but clearly I've screwed them up so much already that they want to be clowns.

F*ck You, Rush Limbaugh

And you, Bill O'Reilly. And you, Sean Hannity. And most especially you, Glenn Beck. And every news producer who has replayed anything those you idiots have said, which I'm pretty sure covers every media outlet.

Because there's a difference between disagreement and disgusting behavior, and you all have crossed it. And I happen to know that Bill, at least, is playing a role and doesn't believe everything he spouts (or lets his viewers spout). But this playing to the lunatic fringes makes me nauseous.

If the birther movement wasn't bad enough (like that wouldn't have been checked by all the McCain and Clinton resources already? Seriously?), now we've got people comparing Obama to Hitler. If it's not his "socialized" medicine (I guess then the UK, Canada and Ireland are all socialist countries, maybe we should stop asking them to assist us in our wars), then it's the fact that schoolchildren sang a song about him. Because it was okay when schoolchildren sang songs about Bush (Jon Stewart showed a lovely song thanking Bush and FEMA for all their help, sung by young Katrina victims, for example), but when people do it for Obama it means he wants to be Hitler? And the schoolchildren are being indoctrinated? Like public school isn't one long series of indoctrinations?

I mean, I really don't care if they hate Obama. I certainly had a strong aversion to Bush. But. . . .I didn't go around comparing him to Hitler. Because you know what? He wasn't trying to exterminate everyone he deemed undesirable (at least not directly) and he didn't try to take over Europe. Totally not like Hitler.

And neither is Obama. There's no extermination, no take over the world plans and no dissolution of Congress.  Nor is he a socialist, if you actually understand the definition of the word. But I guess the viewers love those phrases, whether they're actually true or not. So the talking heads keep using them, spinning the idiots of this country up until they all think that our president is a too-smart Kenyan who wants to be Hitler or Mussolini.  Meanwhile, proud Republicans like Tom DeLay go on Dancing With the Stars, where they can really make a difference.

But, honestly, would a smart person actually want to be Hitler? He committed suicide. And Mussolini was executed. Demagogues don't usually walk gently into a luxurious old age. Of course, Rush, Bill, Sean and Glenn know that (I think). They probably know that comparing Obama to Hitler is incendiary and ridiculous. They just don't care. It's not about debating about what's best for our country anymore, it's about naming calling and who's "winning" by getting the most viewers and votes for their favorites.

It's not like they really care.