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One would like to think that Portland is one of the more "enlightened" areas of the country, and that we're open to diversity and tolerate differences. And it's true, I don't think Matthew Shephard would have been killed for being gay here, but there are still people around here who are intolerant bigots. I was reminded of that just today: I was on my way home and noticed a dark green smallish SUV (something like a Suzuki Sidekick) tailgating me. Not too unusual, but when they got an opportunity to pass me, they did, and it looked like the passenger mouthed "Fag" at me. I wrote it off as an overactive imagination, but as they pulled off the exit ahead (the same one I was taking), it looked like they were making hand gestures at me. With the dark "privacy" glass that you can't seem to avoid these days, I couldn't tell for sure. Finally, since I wasn't reacting, the driver stuck his hand out the window and very clearly raised his middle finger high. I was tempted to follow them (they turned right from the exit, and I was going left --- hmmm, amusing, though I didn't think of the association at the time ;-) ), but had better things to do than counter-harass idiots.
And that's not the only instance: a couple weeks ago, a message was left on my phone, which unfortunately got accidentally erased before I could digitize it, that while garbled, sounded like some sort of anti-gay nonsense. And a couple of times in the four years I've been here, my rainbow and stars flag has grown legs and wandered off to neighorhood bushes a couple blocks away.
These are all admittedly minor and childish offenses, and in fact, in the case of the flag wandering strongly suspect a teenager across the street, but nevertheless, it's clear that some who probably consider themselves proud patriotic Americans clearly have no clue what the concept of Freedom actually means. I would hate to think that by bullying the rest of the world, as we're doing with respect to the Iraq issue, we're showing what America really stands for, but maybe it actually is.
That's not the America that I was taught I lived in though.
Posted by abatie at October 13, 2003 06:31 PM