Copyright 2006 Ben S. Pollock
Let’s start here and now: Red states are blue, and blue states are red. The cause of red standing for Republican was what, a conspiracy?
Still, this is America. This is the reverse. It’s confusing, and it’s wrong. Red equalling commie or at least leftist or liberal is 20th century. OK, maybe that’s not it, especially in a day when Democrats are loath to admit it. Still, red equaling workers and anarchy and blood on the streets … maybe it’s French? Pinko!
Blue representing the right goes a terribly long way. Blue is royalty, the monarchy. (Not every country as crimson is a good, old-fashioned color for various crowns.) And red the color of bloody revolution goes as far back. It’s not consistent, either. The Yankee Doodles fought … the Redcoats.
Right means truth, fidelity, dexterous. Left means sinister. For eye and also ear specialists, blue means right eye and right ear. Look at their diagrams and their felt-tip pens next time you’re in the optical shop or ear-nose-throat doctor. Red marks the left side or the left-handed organs.
Gay, a perfectly good word, no longer can mean free-spirited happy without knowing smirks. Some atheists (or maybe it’s the secularists or humanists) are campaigning for their movement, similarly, to be called “bright.”
Let’s keep Red for the Left, and Blue for the blue-bloods and blue-hairs. It’s the Right thing to do. How? Just say the correct color in all of your future political conversations. If — in my case, when — you slip, just laugh and say something like, I meant Red as in left and Blue as in Right Republican or royal blue.
Let this be the first revolutionary battle of the coming elections. -30-
