Garrison Keillor wrote a brilliant piece in The Funny Times, on the attacks on Nancy Pelosi, California, and San Francisco. Here’s the money quote:
People who want to take a swing at San Francisco should think twice. Yes, the Irish coffee at Fisherman’s Wharf is overpriced…but the Bay Area is the cradle of the computer software industry, which continues to create jobs for our children. The iPod was not developed by Baptists in Waco. There may be a reason for this. Creative people thrive in a climate of openness and tolerance, since some great ideas start out sounding ridiculous. Creativity is a key to economic pregress. Authoritarianism is stifling. I don’t believe that Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard were gay, but what’s important is: In San Francisco, it doesn’t matter so much. When the cultural Sturmbannfuhrers try to marshal everyone into straight lines, it has consequences for the economic future of our country.
Nice. Smart that someone ties the scary nasty gay gay California free gayness to Silicon Valley and economic growth. Because Keillor’s right, they are related. Just like living a fearful, repressed life full of hatred is tied to a lack of creativity. And I also like not standing there with our tails between our legs when they talk about our wild lifestyle. Fire both barrels, sez I!
(I left my cross-post in San Francisco.)
Garrison Keillor doesn’t really get his due in some circles, i think; don’t be fooled by that mild midwestern demeanor.
and yeah, some days i think thwarted creativity is actually even more rock-bottom the problem than repressed sexuality (or whatnot).
Seriously, his Funny Times column is very rewarding.