Refusing to be Comforted

Five Thoughts About the Debate Last Night

File:Freso - Rachel is weeping for her children.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

I fell into the unfortunate happenstance of being in the living room folding laundry when all my children decided to watch the Presidential Debate last night. I meant to already be in bed and assumed they all had plenty of school work, but it’s the beginning of the scholastic year and they aren’t crushed by stress yet.

We have a TV, but it’s not hooked up to anything, so Matt’s iPod was propped up upon a rickety side table, and everyone settled in. And I must just say, I wish I could have the two hours back. I thought it would be unendurable, and, though I did, I guess, not perish during the long, interminable back and forth, I wished all the time that I were dead. Or at least that the Lord would return right then and put everything to rights.

So, because I was up late enduring something unpleasant and am having trouble thinking straight, here are my thoughts about the debate and whether or not we should be more upset about the murder of babies in the womb or people’s pets being made into dinner, numbered because they don’t follow logically one upon another.

1. I went to bed with this clip in my head:

2. The fact-checking efforts of the moderator, while the debate was still going on, especially about abortion, were untoward and disrespectful. I agree, essentially, with all the reasonable observations that Mr. Trump should have known better than to agree to such an occasion at a purveyor of news like ABC, but still, it was insufferable.

3. I was sort of disappointed that Ms. Harris didn’t laugh manaically. I was hoping she would, but we can’t all get what we want in this life.

4. Thank heaven for the internet’s ability to immediately churn out cat memes at a furious pace. What would we do without memes and gifs of adorable cats?

5. Speaking of cats and dogs and birds and their relative safety in Ohio around immigrant populations, a lot of people on X were upset that much was said by Mr. Trump on that subject while not being whole-heartedly pro-life or naming the people killed in the last year by people who have not entered the country legally. And, of course, I agree that the safety and security of human people is much more important than someone shooting and eating a goose from a park, or even stealing someone’s cat and roasting it for dinner.* Animals are animals, of course, and people are more valuable. But the animal question is curious and complicated and people who express outrage on the subject should not be summarily dismissed. I think, though I am happy to admit if I am wrong, that upset over the loss of animal life need not be set in opposition to anxiety over the death of the unborn. What I have to say is perhaps convoluted, but bear with me.