I don’t talk much about politics unless it’s with my husband and a few close friends. People get too passionate and worked up over things, and either I just don’t care enough, or I get upset and care too much. It’s just easier for me to talk about things that make me happy… like Disney World!
With that said, it’s getting to the point where I’m skimming blogs and such because I don’t get the sense that some people are respectfully speaking their views on the election. It doesn’t matter which candidate the poster is supporting, I guess I’m just beyond wanting to hear it now. I was done ever since the conventions. But in the past couple of weeks, it’s starting to get really nasty. Everything’s turning into attacks against the candidates, and attacks against voters and who the voters are voting for. I’ve been de-friended from blogs because of who people think I might be voting for, and there are people who are saying such mean things that I’m ready to write them out of my life.
Why? No matter who wins tomorrow, we all still have to live in this country together (because seriously, how many of you are REALLY going to move to Canada if your chosen candidate doesn’t win?), and we may as well make the best of it. We’ll always have different views because we have all had different life experiences. I think it’s ludicrous that friendships can end over this stuff. And it hurts that because of the direction people think I’m going in my voting (which I did two weeks ago so I’m REALLY done with all this), that they want to write me out of their lives even though I make it a POINT not to throw my views and beliefs out there for everyone to see and read. And sometimes I want to. Sometimes I want to shake this person or that person and say “THIS IS WHY I BELIEVE THE WAY I DO, THIS IS WHY I VOTE THE WAY I DO, BUT YOU’LL NEVER GET IT WILL YOU?” But I don’t because no, they won’t get it, just like I won’t get why they’re voting the way they do–but God help me if I ever tell them they’re stupid for voting the way they choose when voting is such a gift, a privilege. When not even 50 years ago, I would NOT have been allowed near a voting booth. God help me if I tell someone he or she is stupid because that person doesn’t think the same way I do. Isn’t that called narrow-mindedness? Prejudice? And yet, people are doing it all day every day on blogs and blog comments regarding politics and the candidates and the supporters. It’s all over the TV. It’s in political messages, it’s in people’s mailboxes and in their voice mails. OK, I don’t mind seeing someone posting “I support so and so. Here’s why.” I can respect that. It’s the “that person is sneaky and dirty and whoever votes for that person is an idiot” that I am fed up with reading. It’s the jabs at the choices I’m making, or she’s making, or he’s making, that’s getting to me. These days, it’s refreshing (and rare anymore) to come across a post that just mentions how someone spent her day, or the latest book this guy read. *sigh*
I’m just tired. Even some of the Disney message boards are getting cluttered up with political topics and signatures. I want it over and done with. I mean, I know to expect 943574895349 hours of debriefing afterward, but maybe it won’t be so in my face. I’m just ready to read about your lives again, not why this candidate sucks or why these people are dirty. I just want it all to be over and done so we can get bombarded with the Christmas commercials. Ha. Bring on the M&Ms and Santa, I say.
‘Til next time.
(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)