...that people will stop being, for lack of a better description, complete assholes? I dread election season like I dread visiting my dentist and his gum lacerating assistant. Is there any other time that people feel free to disparage everyone who does not hold an identical viewpoint?
Just a few examples of the "viewpoints" held by people I've observed in the past month (paraphrased of course):
"Only the idiots voted today" as the polling results came in.
"If you vote for Obama supporters, you hate America."
"It's not like I've lost my mind and become a Republican."
"Obama is a Muslim, which makes you a terrorist." This one might be my all time favorite, because it covers taking a jibe at a man who wasn't even running for political office at this time, stating inaccuracies, and insulting an entire religion all in one fell swoop.
Some of these sentiments were expressed by people very near and dear to my heart, and obviously, both major parties are guilty of this shallow name calling. Is it so wrong to wish that we could be above labeling members of a different party with such derogatory condemnation and condescension? Ridiculous.
Seriously, do people realize that so much of what they are spewing can be applied to the very people they are speaking to? I don't discuss politics with too many people, so a lot of my friends don't know where I stand on certain issues, or who I vote for. So, sure, most of my friends probably just assume my silence means that I am in their camp. But I have lost track of the times that I have been insulted in the past month listening to friends of mine disparage those whose opinions and ideas I happen to agree with and support. Or worse, how many times I've felt ashamed when friends who share my opinions completely lambaste people who hold a different political set of ideas.
If you know anything about me, you know I am all for the witty facebook status, classic one liners (a la The Office), and a healthy dose of sarcasm. But condescension and ignorance do not disappear because a statement is cleverly clothed in wit and humor. Those statements are not funny. They are not convincing me that they hold any sort of superior intelligence. They are telling me that whoever made them considers anyone who disagrees with them to be on a level below their own lofty pedestal.
And let's not forget the poor non-voters. Oh, the back-handed digs at them are everywhere. It's your civic duty. Get off your butt and Vote. It's because you stayed home that the ____________ party gained/lost seats! How about this? It's your civic RIGHT. If a person doesn't care enough about the issues at hand, do you really want her in a ballot box casting a vote that will help decide the path our government will take? I'd prefer to leave those kinds of decisions to the people who are driven by an educated interest in the issues and platforms invovled, and who care enough about the implementation of them to vote for the candidate they think will best serve the people.
Here's the deal: Democracy is great because every election results in a peaceful transfer or continuance of power. The candidates who win are the ones with the largest group of constituents who actually cared enough about their political ideas that they got out and voted. So, in the last presidential election, Obama won because enough people wanted change in the White House, supported the Democratic Party's political approach to government, and cared enough about supporting him to cast their votes accordingly. So this time, the Rebublicans reclaimed the House majority and gained seats in the Senate because enough people wanted to curb some of the Democratic power, desired to see some change, and CARED ENOUGH TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY.
Are you seeing a pattern here? There is no blame game, no name calling, just simple fact. Every citizen has a right to one vote, and the cumulative results of each singular vote form our government, whether it was the outcome YOU desired or not. We have to remember that, clearly, quite a few people did indeed desire that outcome if it came to pass.
And we have to remember that the ability to have opinions, vote, refine or even change opinions, and vote again in the next election is not a universal one. We are lucky to live in a country that affords us the opportunity to cast our votes on a regular basis. And we need those "pesky" people who disagree with us, because they challenge our ideas, provide alternative solutions, and continue to be an engine of CHOICE.
........now politicians are another story........
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