I need to get a few little thoughts out of my head. They have been bugging me, and I need to write them out. So, here goes.
I hate politics. Elections have become popularity contests, instead of tools with which to choose a fitting leader. The two "parties" in our government are both hypocritical and extremist, and neither listens to what the other is saying, nor do they even listen to themselves!
I'm tired of the people around me choosing sides, and then dissing the opposite side. I'm tired of people thinking they know everything about each issue, and getting mad when people don't agree with them. I'm tired of the arguing, when people could just agree to disagree. Whatever happened to that sentiment? People just love to fight over their beliefs, and it can get truly ridiculous, even disintigrating into name-calling at times! I'm tired of this attitude in America! Everyone just wants to be right! No one wants to listen, or to have their eyes opened or their minds changed. No one really wants to know the truth, because then they'd have to deal with it.
I don't claim to know everything. I don't claim to be either open-minded or close-minded. I just listen. I watch. I hope for the best, even if there's no real reason for that hope. I pray for understanding. Sometimes I get it. Other times, I'm as clueless as the next person. I've been known to put my fingers in my ears and refuse to pay attention to reality, just as nearly everyone has at some point. But I'm trying to do better, now. Everyone should care. But not to the point of obsession. Not to the point where they're dragging down their fellow Americans for believing something idfferent than they do.
Why can't people realize that it's not about being right, or about winning, or about beating down the opposition? It's about working together toward a common goal! No President (or his/her administration) is ever going to be able to make everyone happy. There are always going to be critics and dissenters who don't like their methods. There will always be those who disagree. The government needs to quit trying to "please the crowd," and actually deal with things! If they mess up, then they can be replaced. If they do well, then everyone benefits! Why must there be all this fuss and fighting?
Our nation needs to quit expecting their elected officials to be perfect! No one is perfect. I don't think we've had anyone in office, here in America, who is truly evil. So many Americans seem to think Bush was horrible, and others are convinced that Obama will bring our nation crashing down even farther. It's ridiculous!
What our nation needs, really, is to put things into perspective. You want an example of a bad leader? Here's an obvious one: Hitler. Or maybe Stalin? Castro? Mussolini? Pol Pot? If you think Bush was bad, you've got another thing coming. If you think Obama's the Antichrist, take a look at these guys. NEVER assume the worst, because you're probably wrong.
People need to take a look around them and realize how good we actually have it. Sure, things could be better, but they could be so much worse! We can choose our own religion! We don't have slavery! We have the right to protect our own homes and property. Heck, we have the right to HAVE property! We have wonderful hospitals, and clean water, plenty of food, and decent sanitation. Our armed forces are excellent, and keep us safe. We don't have war marching on our homeland. We have a system of education, and even though it isn't perfect, at least we have access to libraries and technology and classrooms and teachers and books and maps and everything else we need!
I guess my point is, quite simply, this: stop fighting, people! Be grateful for what you have, and appreciate it! There is no reason for all this hate. Sit back, live your lives, and watch and see what this administration will do. They aren't evil. They haven't proven themselves either way. They may turn out to be exactly what our country needed, or they may turn out to be awful! Who knows, at this point? Let's band together and see what happens, so that if the time comes when we need to march against our government, we have the strength to do what's necessary.
We have to work together as a common people for a common goal, no matter what that goal ends up being. United we stand, remember? This country was founded on the belief that people should be allowed the freedom to believe what they choose. So why, now, are we showing such hate towards those with different beliefs? Seems somewhat counter-intuitive to me. This is America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Let's start acting like it.
Um... so we should just roll over and let this administration do whatever it wants and just "see what happens?" Does that include the Republican members of congress, and the Democrats who aren't entirely on-board too? Remember, the President isn't meant to run the country. There are 3 branches of gov. for a reason.
ReplyDeleteYour admiration for this country suggests you side with the Republicans, since they are more disposed to resist change, while Obama has told us himself that he wants to "fundamentally change" the country. Based on his own statements and the nature of the people he associates with there is reason for concern. And if you follow the breadcrumbs of his last 6 months you get some confirmation of what he's about.
Just please don't make the mistake of thinking that differences in ideology and criticism of policy equal "hate." We don't have to think someone is evil in order to believe that they are wrong about some things. But when they call us hatemongers for merely calling them to task for their ideas, then you'll forgive us for becoming a little testy.
No, I don't think we should just roll over and take it. But I also don't think we should go to the other extreme and call Obama and his administration evil. This was more of a blog talking about the extremists, not about me, or you, and people like us. This was my way of saying that we should all just get along, becuase we're all in the same boat.
ReplyDeleteI think the problem is that so many issues are being argued about at the same time that nothing gets done about any of them. Yes, the comment is very generalized. But I think that the real issue is that the bickering needs to stop. Quit arguing in circles about the same kinds of things all the time (note the issues that have been around for years without anything being really DONE about them: abortion, homosexual marriage, etc.).
ReplyDeleteEither decide- on an individual issue basis- to make things like this available to all and quit trying to rule over other peoples' lives and make their decisions for them, or ban everything and make it a dictatorship. Yes, this is extremist, but at least it would be getting something done.
If everyone (not just the government, but the common people) would stop taking offense at other people believing differently and agree to compromise, we'd get somewhere good a lot faster. My problem is that someone say, brings up the abortion topic, and half the people around them plug their ears and refuse to listen to anything they say on the topic because they don't want to deal with it. Twenty percent more gasp and freak out, believing that abortion is the work of the devil and immediately condemn the person who brought it up. Twenty percent keep their mouths shut for fear of becoming social pariahs for discussing the opinions they pretend not to have. The last ten percent will actually discuss and try to DO something to work towards compromise, but they're drowned out by the other ninety percent who refuse to move forward.
Yes, these are generalizations. Yes, the statistics are made up based on the kinds of debates I've seen in high school and college. Yes, I have made- and still do make- mistakes concerning my reaction to discussions of some of the issues and my opinion of politics. So I'm probably not the best person to really listen to concerning it all, but I agree with Erin. It's all a popularity contest these days. I still have trouble seeing the difference between a 13-year-old saying, "Vote for me for class president" and the national election every four years. Let's fix this up, people. PLEASE!
By becoming a dictatorship?? Yeah,that would be doing something, but it would be doing something BAD!
ReplyDeleteI know you were just venting in a general sense, Erin. I think it's a nice fantasy that we can "all just get along" and find compromise. In some ways and on some things we might do so. In fact, the bickering you hear about is essentially those areas where people think it's important enough to stand up and fight.
ReplyDeleteGus and Erin, the problem is that some things defy compromise, or, at best, it means that neither party gets anything that fits its ideology. . . . and it generally all does amount to differences in ideologies, which is why agreement is impossible without changing worldviews. And saying that we could just let everybody be free to decide for themselves on some issues is equivalent to saying that the person in favor of that thing wins.
Take slavery for example. Which side would have won if we said everyone could just decide for themselves whether or not to own slaves? You know, "Don't like slavery, don't own one." And what's the satisfactory compromise here? That you can only own a slave for 4 years? That we just heavily tax the slave owners? Wasn't slavery an issue worth generating some heat? I think so, and I think there are other issues worth the debate now as well.
In any case, I can't agree more that we should be civil in our dialog, we shouldn't assume our opponents are evil incarnate, we should be informed before planting our feet, and we should be willing to engage the debate.
Personally, I think the important debate is in the assumptions that lie beneath the issues, but most people either do not recognize their worldview assumptions or would rather shout slogans than have them examined.
I'm just tired of political debates becoming arguments, rather than the exchange if ideas and beliefs. That's all I was saying. Nothing deeper than that. I'm just annoyed. That's all.
ReplyDeleteSecond.
ReplyDeleteGotcha. Maybe I shouldn't comment here. I enjoy exchanges relating to ideas and beliefs too much sometimes.
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ReplyDeleteI enjoy exchanges, too, Dad! That's the whole point. But when it comes to venting, I don't want a debate. Now, if I post something thoughtful, and ask for feedback, please feel free to put in your two cents!
ReplyDeleteMy problem was that you weren't responding to the meaning behind the blog post, you were nitpicking at the details of my wording and such. I'm not very good at wording things properly when I'm frustrated. I'm simply tired of the immaturity that typically surrounds political "debates." That's all I was saying in this ^_^