I Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident

I voted today^[1]. I happily, proudly voted today. I even wore a special voting outfit, a dress which has the Declaration of Independence printed on it.

I kinda wondered a little bit if anyone would say anything about my dress. I know that you aren’t allowed to wear anything that could be deemed ‘election attire’ within 150 feet of a polling place. This means something that is partisan, that shills for a particular candidate. So you can wear an American flag shirt. You can wear what I wore – the Declaration of Independence printed over and over.

I don’t know why I got nervous about it, other than general paranoia. My paranoia is a little bit justified, though.^[2] People spend so much time looking for things to get offended about that they don’t stop and think.

But I really do think that if we all bothered to stop and think there’d be more agreement than disagreement. I mean, and I’m reading off my dress here,^[3] “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Who can argue with that? Women, I suppose, but the vast majority of us have come to accept that the English language is simply deficient and doesn’t have a good gender-neutral word^[4] and women are just as equal as everyone else even if we do have some different body parts. Maybe even more equal in some ways.^[5]

The point is this: I’m not aware of any American of any political stripe who is anti “all people are created equal” or anti “all people are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” These are, as far as I know, non-controversial statements. The only controversy comes in how we achieve those things. The Devil, as always, is in the details.

So riddle me this. I know I’m being stupidly naïve, riding a high from participating in democracy and feeding off a privilege not everyone has by living in a neighborhood with a convenient voting location with no lines and having a job where I can go vote on a Monday during business hours at will, but if we all believe that all people are created equal and have those inalienable rights, why are we name calling and being so hateful over how we get there?

Or, is anyone willing to say out loud that equality and inalienable rights aren’t the endgame after all? Maybe it’s a power grab or greed, or maybe you don’t really think all men and women are equal. I don’t know, I’m not in your head, I can only guess.

But as imperfect as the man who wrote it was, it’s a hell of an ideal, and I’m proud to wear it. I do declare those truths to be self-evident. That all of us were created equal with inalienable rights. I’ve got my ideas on how to realize that utopia. I’m willing to hear yours, so long as you tell me in good faith.

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^[1] Today meaning the day I wrote this, not necessarily the day you’re reading this.

^[2] See my recent post about how many misunderstandings make my continued employment as a lawyer possible: Basic Understanding – by Lori B. Duff – Lori Duff Writes

^[3] Declaration of Independence Long Tunic with Pockets Svaha USA here’s the link to the dress, and no, I’m not affiliated with Svaha USA at all, though I own a LOT of their products and love every single one and not only because they have giant pockets, and if they wanted to reward me in any way for promoting them I would absolutely allow it.

^[4] Okay, it does, ‘people’ or ‘humans’, but work with me.

^[5] Wink wink.

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