Dear "Them," We hate you. Love, "Us"

Bear with me... it's early and I'm already thinking about stuff.

I went to McDonalds on the way to work (fruit and walnut salad, mmmmm. Oh, and also an egg McMuffin - I am weak). The McDonalds near the radio station is staffed primarily by young people of Middle Eastern origin. The only reason that is relevant is because I hopped on the Train of Thought and it took me somewhere interesting.

BUT... before I get into that I need to make a few things very clear...
I know that not all people from the Middle East are Muslim.
I know that 9/11 was not an event sanctioned by the Muslim religion.
I know that the terrorists can not be linked to any specific country or even region of the world (the most recent guy convicted is from Australia).
I know that the word "hate" is insufficient and wrong. It is impossible to have one word to describe how I feel about canned spinach and child molesters.
I know that I should not write about politics, religion, or other topics of controversy. Especially not at 7am.

Here goes...

I ordered my egg McMuffin and while I was paying for it I wondered if the guy selling it to me was Muslim and how he felt about serving "unclean" meat for a living. I also wondered about the guy who had to cook it. Then I thought that if he was Muslim and if he was a crazy, "up with terrorists" kind of Muslim he probably thought, "unclean meat for unclean people, ha ha you're all going to hell you fat Americans." It did occur to me that if serving pork would upset him that much he'd probably try to get a job at Taco Bell or something instead. Then as he handed my by bag and smiled and told me to have a nice day and I smiled back and said, "You too, thanks!" I thought, wow, he was so much more polite than the other McDonalds employees usually are and I wondered if he hated his job as much as they all clearly do or if he really felt a sense of pride about his clean uniform and the repetitive structure of the fast-food work day. The other McDonalds employees I have dealt with radiate hatred and resentment - especially if you are so obnoxious as to ask for a plastic fork or an extra packet of sweet and sour sauce.

Which made me think about group hatred and "us" and "them."

We are told that "they" hate us. We are also told that if we are good Amrrr-kans "we" will also hate "them."

Do I hate Iraq? Do I hate Muslim extremists? Do I hate the terrorists?

I do not, in fact, have a blanket sort of hate that settles over parts of the world. Certainly not in a geographic way. If we have learned anything from history and literature haven't we learned that in general we all want the same thing and we are all frightened by the same things? Isn't it fair to assume that somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan there is a 31-year-old overweight mom who wakes up earlier than she wants to, especially on the weekends? Isn't it fair to think that all she wants is for her kids to be safe? All she wants is to be able to take care of her daily needs and the needs of her family. Without worrying about suicide bombers or stupid laws. That's pretty much what I want. Do I hate her? Does she hate me? Nope. Not unless her kid is a shit to my kid, and then we're ON.

What about "the terrorists"? Do I hate them? Well, which ones - the ones on "our" side or "theirs"? And doesn't my asking that question automatically make me suspect?
And what about the extremists? Well, I have to say that Christian extremists in THIS country scare me a whole lot more than any other religious extremist in any other country. The ones who blow up abortion clinics and think that women should "obey" their husbands regardless of whether their husbands have any sense at all. The ones who are against birth control in any form. The ones who home school - NOT because their kids can get a better education at home, not because they are good teachers, not because they want to make sure their kids learn in a positive and loving environment, but because they want to make sure their kids are only exposed to their thoughts and beliefs. They just want to make sure their kids minds are as narrow and fixed as possible. Those people scare me.

To be clear: Homeschooling in general? Fine and dandy. Is it for me and my kid? Nope. We would kill each other in a week. Is it a good idea for other people? Absolutely. When it is done "right" - as opposed to my daughter's cousin who is 8 and can't spell or read because his mom "can't get him to study." Uh-huh. Seriously.

I think that I hatred for and fear of M.C. Rove and Dick Cheney (the great white hunter) than I do for anyone in any other country.

Unless their kid is a shit to my kid... then it is so on.