I decided sometime when I was a child that my favorite color was green. I recall that, as a child, the idea of a favorite color was quite important. I'm not even sure then that I was really happy with my choice -- possibly it was peer pressure that pushed me into making this important decision prematurely.
With the recent news, however, that the Green Party of Pennsylvania has become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rick Santorum campaign I've decided it's time for me to pick a new favorite color.
Follow me for ruminations on childhood, favorite colors, green, and Armageddon cults of self-martydom posing as political parties. . .
I think that my original choice of green as a favorite color may have been influenced by the association of green with nature -- the same reason that the so-called Green Party chose their name. The situation in Pennsylvania shows us, however, that at least in this country the "Green" in Green Party is now more about money -- Republican money -- than actual issues. Remember, this is the party that, by spoiling the 2000 Presidential election in both Florida and New Hampshire, produced the outstanding Adminisration that, for the past six years, has led America forward into the new era of peace and ecological prosperity that we now enjoy. Not.
For my part, I worry a little bit about the association of the color green with money. While my childhood intentions may have been different, as I proceed through middle age with the ever increasing concern about providing for my family and creating some kind of financially secure future, do I really want to say "my favorite color is green"? It's not that I'm trying to pretend that financial issues don't concern me, but shouldn't I be exploring some other aspect of life?
Now that the color green has become so closely associated with the "me, me, me" Armageddon cult of the Green Party ("Destroying society to save it, you'll worship us later!") I have to say that I'm done with green. What color should be my new favorite -- or do I even have to have a favorite color?
I have to say that I'm leaning towards NFC (no favorite color). I'm a diversity loving kind of guy -- why should I have to choose? But I'm also a pretty indecisive kind of guy, and not choosing a color seems a bit of a cop out to me. A little too easy. A little poseur-ish. Oh, me? I'm above favorite colors!
Perhaps yellow. When we had the inside of our house painted a few years ago we wound up with a lot of yellow rooms in various shades. But my wife made the paint decisions, and to the extent that she has a favorite color, it's yellow. I want to have my own favorite color. Also, yellow is the color of desertification, and how sad to have it replace green, the color of nature, in that context?
Blue? I'm not particularly fond of blue. Or red -- which would be a political statement all it's own. I like a lot of the oranges, and orange-brown colors -- but isn't it a bit precious to answer the question "what's your favorite color" with "sienna"? And people might think I drive a minivan. Can't have that.
Help me out. . .