Maybe the Narrative is Changing


I came across a Christian's column about the candidacy of Kamala Harris written several days ago, right after Biden dropped out. It is filled with sarcasm about men in drag endorsing her as well as her advocacy of transgender and gay rights and abortion rights. It was written at the time nearly all Trump supporters were absolutely certain she was a joke and would amount to nothing.

The writer went on about how Christians have a right to feel offended by Harris. "We are so hurt by her reference to men in drag as respectable parts of humanity," is a paraphrase of the writer and much of the Christian community. To me what would be most wonderful if Harris/Walz won the election as well as several in the Senate and House is the possibility of a new "narrative."

The new narrative I hope for is the one I think has existed for several years but is whispered in selected company and not expressed loudly and forcefully. It is that all of the Christian right is welcomed to believe whatever it wants but the "hurt" they "feel" from having to fill prescriptions for abortion pills (pharmacists) and allowing men in drag read children's books to children in the public library is really not important to the rest of us. Doing your job as a pharmacist or allowing administrators of libraries to run libraries as they see fit is being a good citizen.

I wish I could make available a long article in today's Des Moines Register about censuring books available in Iowa public schools. Iowa's Republican legislature and Governor passed the same law as other states prohibiting books with certain content, mostly sex, gender and race. Across the state there is little uniformity and legislators and the whacko religious Governor are at a loss as to what school administrators are to do. When a couple of schools pulled the book "1984" one legislator said, "Pulling that book is not at all what the bill was meant to do." Some places pulled "The Color Purple" and others did not. Some legislators are now saying school administrators simply do not understand the bill intended great classics are to remain available to students. It is the "other books" that are supposed to be killed. Perhaps a win by Harris/Walz will establish a new narrative about books in schools, "Kids need to see the world of diversity through books. Religious crackpots should stick to their knitting."

Like most readers, elections to me have been so often disappointed. Being optimistic about this one is risky but I want to enjoy the possibility something good will happen this time.   

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