Good for what ails you

Vintage French pharmacy bottles at the recent brocante at Chatou, France.

Today I received an anti-Obama email from someone with whom I grew up... It was one of the most racist, right-wing, revisionist pieces of garbage I've ever seen. I know I should consider the source: someone who grew up in a wealthy household with a full-time black maid; who has led a privileged life and was a George W. Bush supporter. But these are the kind of deliberately wrong-headed Republican-fueled attacks we can expect as we move closer to the election in November.

No matter what candidate you support in the presidential election, I urge you to pay attention to the facts, not the rumors and innuendo. If you don't know where a candidate stands on certain issues, go to their official website; read a variety of newspapers, magazines and blogs. Check out the candidates' Senate voting records. Think for yourself! Don't accept as fact a distorted bunch of words combined in mean-spirited and ignorant attacks designed to rip the country apart, rather than bring us together.

If there's anything we've learned in the past seven-plus years of an incompetent Bush administration, it's that we must stand together to combat extremists and special interests. We cannot allow further erosion of our civil liberties and Constitutional freedoms by those who stand to profit from our complacency.

And I'm still so upset by that vile message, am off to listen to Earth Wind & Fire's That's the Way of the World, for many years, my favourite peace of mind song - followed by a lap or two around Longchamp.

Comments

[Allegra]

I have just a suggestion which has proven quite successful for me: when I receive an email filled with poison I simply change the name of the person toward whom the poison is directed by the candidate they assure me is the best among best since the person sending the email supports him/her. A simple "thank you so much for your email. I thought that one good turn deserves another and that you would appreciate my sharing this with you." If the person is a Bush supporter just write "Bush" where the name of the other candidate is in every single instance it appears. They will get the message. If they not, at least you would have tried to teach them about poison emails and the effect they have on innocent bystanders.

Sad world we live in, one of the reasons I stopped watching tv over 20 years ago. While maybe 0.01% of the programming could be worthy of watching, the rest is nothing more than a sad reflection of an ignorant and proud of it, society. Watching our society disintegrate at the hands of those to whom law and history have the value of yesterday's paper is not only painful but also
very frightening as history has shown that a society that has no respect for the Law is doomed to succumb at the hand of the lawless. And as we have indeed witnessed for the past seven years in our own country. As Voltaire so clearly expressed it once: "Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities."

[Allegra]

I have just a suggestion which has proven quite successful for me: when I receive an email filled with poison I simply change the name of the person toward whom the poison is directed by the candidate they assure me is the best among best since the person sending the email supports him/her. A simple "thank you so much for your email. I thought that one good turn deserves another and that you would appreciate my sharing this with you." If the person is a Bush supporter just write "Bush" where the name of the other candidate is in every single instance it appears. They will get the message. If they not, at least you would have tried to teach them about poison emails and the effect they have on innocent bystanders.

Sad world we live in, one of the reasons I stopped watching tv over 20 years ago. While maybe 0.01% of the programming could be worthy of watching, the rest is nothing more than a sad reflection of an ignorant and proud of it, society. Watching our society disintegrate at the hands of those to whom law and history have the value of yesterday's paper is not only painful but also
very frightening as history has shown that a society that has no respect for the Law is doomed to succumb at the hand of the lawless. And as we have indeed witnessed for the past seven years in our own country. As Voltaire so clearly expressed it once: "Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities."

[Casey]

Tara,

You're not alone in being shocked at the hateful things being said during this election. I just can't believe some of the insane opinions I've been reading all over the internet. It's all the more amazing when it's someone you've known since childhood though. One of my brothers has gone extremely right-wing of late and I don't even want to see him.
Whenever want to forget it all for a couple of days and come down to the Loire valley, we'd love to see you...

[sherry]

No matter how far forward this world has moved, how educated we become, how accpeting...I am still amazed and shocked by people with backward thinking. Fear and ignorance fuel their fire -- but really. I would be mortified to receive an email like you did. I am mortified when "friends" speak negatively about blacks, asians -- anyone from a different background or culture.

There will always be people like this in our world..hopefully they will soon be a very small minority.

[Jeanie]

Absolutely true. I've received that kind of e-mail too. It always makes me very upset and more than that, extremely disappointed. It's one thing to have an opinion -- even a strong one. It's by far another to bring in the hate, the intolerance, and the lack of listening to the other side. Now if I can tell what it is, I hit delete, but sometimes you don't know till you're there...

[Alyssa]

First time posting a comment even though I've browsed your entries from time to time. Beautiful french bottles, I want all of them! haha I've been wondering for some time, what is the name of the tree w/ the pink buds at the top of your layout? Thank you

[ally bean]

I have the exact same thing happen to me about once a week. The emails are always from people in my small town past-- and they upset me. I do like kim does and send the snopes.com link-- or sometimes I try to engage these people in an email conversation about why they think these messages are true. But nothing seems to work to get them to not include me in their hate mailings.

I'm a good positive person and cannot for the life of me figure out why they send such negativity my way. Positive begets positive, right? Or at least it should.

[My Melange]

Tara,

I am continually amazed that people spend more time and effort effort picking their favorite American Idol, Final Five or Superbowl picks...than they do trying to research their Presidential candidate. Sad state of affairs.

I am sorry you had to receive that email from your friend. I think it must be worse when it is someone close to you...rather than just some spam....

[Amy]

oh that's terrible. Even though I live in New Zealand and have never visited any country but Australia, racism is still something we see here down under all the time. Very sad...

[Lisa & Alfie at The Pickled Hutch]

Tara,
It was just a simple misunderstanding on your part. You say you "grew up" with this person. Only YOU grew up, they didn't. They just memorized someone else's opinion instead of forming their own based on research and information. A simple mistake you see. Don't let them get you down!
Lisa & Alfie

[Tammy]

I recently had company that said vile things about Obama knowing I was a supporter, in my house. Manners friend because you don't have to agree!

[Becca]

The only political information I heed is what comes directly from the candidates mouths or their offical information, e.g. websites, policy statements, etc.

I suppose there have always been people who like to spread their hatred and ignorance around. I try to ignore them and stick to my guns.

[Colette]

This is why I don't read politics anymore. I have read so much trash about, and trashing of, Sen. Clinton (of whom I know more because her state borders my province) that I shudder at how vicious and nasty people are nowadays. There is blind hatred for both candidates, and since I do not comprehend that kind of hatred, I've withdrawn my energy from "keeping up" with the news.

[Christine]

I think this is one of the worst election seasons for anti-political candidate emails. Unfortunately, I am not surprised at the Obama emails; I knew people would use his father's religion against him. It also shocks me how people send emails against a particular candidate know the receiver is a supporter.

[studio wellspring]

it is my sincerest prayer that the types of people who write emails like that and who continue to support "leaders" like gw bush will not discourage, but instead encrouage and inspire their counterparts: people with more positive actions & stronger voices of reason, good will, compassion, freedom, and hope.

[rochambeau]

Dear Tara,
Just left you a comment, but it didn't go through. Just want to say that I'm sorry that your friend acted that way. There is no reason to act vile to another person. You are wise to find your inner peace with EWF.
xox
Constance

[Karen DeGroot Carter]

I read this...and the comments...and just want to scroll back down (enjoying your lovely spring photos along the way) to the Yes We Can fence and concentrate on that. It always takes a shock for me to see things as they truly are since I tend to get caught up in the positive potential of change. My husband is much more, perhaps even painfully, aware of the realities of racism in our world. I doubt he'd be surprised to learn of these emails and probably knew they'd become widespread before too long. Some day we'll get beyond this; at least I can hold onto that belief. K.

[Yoli]

Tara, I am so sorry you had to content with that email. You know racism is alive and well. I am Cuban, my children Chinese, we confront prejudice and racism often. I refuse to be a victim and I like to think that I will be able to empower my children, not protect them. I realize now, more than ever, that we need someone like Obama.

[kim]

Hi Tara...

I know exactly how you feel. I have relatives who send me those hate-filled, racist, ignorant emails and it always makes me so mad that I have all I can do not to fire off a snarky email back to them. I usually send them the snopes.com link and let them know that their emails contain lies and falsehoods.

I don't know where our country is heading with so many ignorant, hateful, fearful, mean-spirited people that seem to comprise a huge segment of our population.