This will be my first diary, and I know this is something that probably has been said before, but I felt it important and moving enough for me to write something. I am definitely not as articulate as many on this site, and this is a personal anecdote, but I felt it might be good enough to share.
I have never really considered myself influential. As opinionated as I am, I do not try to shove my ideas down other peoples' throats. When I received the "Barack Obama is a Muslim" smear e-mail last May from my boss at the time, however, it got my ire up to say the least. I had been involved in the local grassroots movement for Obama since February 2007, and I was just not in the mood to let the e-mail slide that day.
The company that I was employed with was dominated by right-wing, good-ol'-boy, "Bush-is-doing-the-best-he-can-do" fearpushers. So it didn't surprise me that the e-mail was sent, but who was on the list of recipients did. Vice-presidents of companies. Corporate contacts. People that would know that this e-mail was a blatant falsehood - and then, of course, all of us subordinates and co-workers.
As they say, I think, more below the fold.
When I received this e-mail, I was angry. I was angry that I was instantly put in a position of fear - fear of responding and losing my job; fear of my passion overtaking my common sense and responding rudely; and fear of what co-workers and all the other folks on the list - most of them business contacts who knew me - would think of that response.
I responded anyway.
I kept my response brief, and explained how the e-mail had been debunked. I "replied-all." I did not just send it back to the sender. It was very important to me that these 100 or so contacts did not buy into these e-mails.
Well, the replies to my reply came in, some in favor of my response, some hotly contesting the evidence of the debunking. And then the boss came to get me, his face redder than I have ever witnessed in my life. He proceeded to lecture me on how I was to never again use his e-mail address contacts for my personal platforms (which, of course, does not make any sense, since he was the one that sent the original e-mail.) I let him talk angrily to me, and smiled and simply pointed out that he sent out the e-mail in the first place. He told me that he would not send me any e-mails like that again (which I was beyond thankful for - we got plenty of "You're not a Patriot if you do not support Bush and his War" e-mails from him on a weekly basis.)
To me, a supervisor's blatantly right-wing e-mails being distributed to subordinates is harassment, pure and simple. I felt pressured into silence for the 9 years I had worked for this company. I was an extremely dedicated employee. Because of this one reply to this one e-mail - I had previously ignored all the others - I was punished by my boss refusing to talk to me for the next two months. This office had about 10 of us working in it. Uncomfortable, to say the least.
Meanwhile, during the non-talking segment, I continued to discuss Senator Obama and all that I was learning about him with my co-workers, albeit clandestinely. I got them to register to vote. After two months of the stand-off between myself and my boss, another opportunity came to me for different employment but at a fairly sizeable pay cut. I took it, and have never regretted one day since then. I am much happier, and the pay cut, while substantial, is not going to break me. I have just had to manage more efficiently. Now that I am much happier in my work, many things have turned around for me - I have lost 23 pounds, I have begun exercising on a regular basis, I have learned how to manage my finances much better, and I have become even more active and outgoing in local Dallas politics as well as the community. The people I have met and have become close to have been absolutely fantastic. Barack Obama has indirectly changed my life, and I marvel at this every day.
So today, just another sign of this life-changing stuff taking hold and making an impact: I drove my ex-co-worker who is still employed at my old company to the early voting location close to me today for lunch. She is a young Mexican-American woman with a beautiful spirit who has never voted in her life. When she walked up to the election judge, I heard her say, "This is my first time to vote!!" The excitement and the pride glowed on her face as she exited after she had cast her vote, almost in tears.
Her words to me were: "It's incredibly emotional, and I just thank you so much for all you have taught me - this is the first time I have ever felt that any candidate could possibly change America."
All I could think was, No no no. It is I who thank you.
This is how we get there: person by person, block by block, one unique and life-changing experience after another.