this is a long, boring, not well-supported/constructed/thought-out rant that is just for me

I was driving to work this morning, sitting in annoying city traffic, when I read an interesting bumper sticker. It read "I was against Bush before it was cool." Now I am super liberal, anit-Bush, blah, blah, blah...but this bumper sticker annoyed me for numerous reasons. This rant is long and kind of lame in that it was sparked by something as inconsequential as a bumper sticker, but oh well.

Let me make this clear, it is not "cool" to be anti-Bush. Now everyone is anti-Bush. If you go to any elementary school and ask kids about the president, 90% will give you the same mindless, programmed comment about how we shouldn't be in Iraq and how Bush is dumb and a "bad president". It is a safe, culturally agreed upon thing to say now. This is a big change from say 2001, where most people were supporting the president and by extension, their schools and kids echoed that same sentiment. 6 years later, with thousands dead, shady dealings and appointments, an enormous list of fuck-ups, and a general sense of an evil agenda, it could have been considered "cool" back then as it was not a mainstream sentiment, but certainly not in 2007.

Back to the bumper sticker. So let me ask this guy a few things? You say that you were anti-Bush before it was cool? So you were against him when he was governor of Texas? Or maybe you were really ahead of the game and hated the way he owned the Texas Rangers...Do you have a problem with people agreeing with you now? If it is that important that you be recognized for your being ahead of the general consensus (maybe) as far as questioning Bush..goodie for you. In something as important as fighting the evil regime of Bush, should you waste valuable bumper sticker space so that you can feel superior over others who are supporting the same cause?

I have been on both sides as far as appreciating things earlier than most and later than most. I understand the feeling where you like something that seems unnoticed, not yet appreciated and "cool", only to see it reach mainstream audiences and you get into eye-rolling conversations where some idiot is like "dude, you gotta check out this band ________, they're pretty underground, so you probably haven't heard of them, blah, blah, blah." This type of encounter is disheartening and can sap your appreciation for said band, movie, book, whatever. It's like someone invited the obnoxious frat guys to your secret nerd club. I understand this and have encountered it, but complaining about it makes you look like a complete ass, and not a "that guy is hilarious, he's such an ass", more of a "that guy is an ass and a douche and i kinda want to punch him." After the initial thought of "I don't like that this guy and I enjoy the same type of music", I am glad that this band or whatever is getting the appreciation and recognition it deserves.

I have also dealt with some elitist assholes who criticize others and try to make you feel lame along the lines of "oh, you're just now getting into _________, haha, man i was into them like 6 months ago!" Shut the fuck up.

So, yeah, everyone and their idiot kid is now anti-Bush, and it is not "cool". It is mainstream in fact, the opposite of "cool". So your bumper sticker and aforementioned statement is not only douchey, it is completely incorrect. I guess your bumper sticker could have said "I was against Bush while it was cool" or "I was against Bush before it became mainstream" or "I was against Bush before it became the MTV of political statements". So congratulations on being wrong (not in hating Bush, but as to what is cool) as well as being a big ol' elitist d-bag.