Back into the fray...

So I've been trying really hard to stay out of political discussions (read: debates, arguments, fracases, free-for-alls, etc.) because it's just getting ugly.

It happened four years ago and four years before that. Maybe it always happened around Presidential elections and I just wasn't paying that much attention before the last two. But I don't think so - I actually tie the increase in uncivil discourse on Presidential politics to the rise in internet use. The internet has made it possible for otherwise civil people to say things they would be ashamed to say to other people's faces. Think about this hypothetical: Let's say your neighbor is a pretty nice guy. He gives you tomatoes from his garden; he asks how you're feeling after you've been sick; he takes in your mail while you're on vacation; he keeps an eye on your kids while they're playing in front of the house. You're not best friends, but you get along fine. You talk about sports - and if he's a Yankee fan and you're a Met fan you do some of that faux trash-talk that guys love to engage in with each other. But neither of you takes it that seriously. Around election time he mentions in passing that he liked Obama's speech the other night. Inside you cringe because you are a longtime Republican who is supporting McCain & you just don't understand why this guy would support Obama. But chances are you just mumble something non-committal or, at worst, you say "Well he's not really my cup of tea." and change the subject. Because really is it worth getting into an argument with your neighbor over this? Or maybe you're a hardcore political guy so you try to explain why you like McCain - but I guarantee you that the words "Fucking liberals" or "Goddamn Socialists" or anything along those lines enters into the discussion. It's just a tepid chat about issues between neighbors and in fairly short order you change the topic to the upcoming weekend storm or the Giants' chances this year.

But then you go onto the internet - doesn't matter where exactly - blog, message board, news site, whatever. You sign in with your online name & you start saying shit that you would NEVER say to someone's face.

For someone like me who is shy & doesn't really do too well in face-to-face social situations, you make a lot of online "friends" over the course of the years you spend on the internet. And even though sometimes you have one thing in common (like in my case sci-fi or a certain television show) that brings you together as friends, you don't always share the same political views. And maybe on occasion a comment or two will slip from you or them that shows you are on opposite sides politically. And maybe you have a discussion about it - but for the most part it's fairly civilized because basically you are friends and overall you like each other so you overlook your differences. Because that's what people do.

Until the Presidential election gets close. And suddenly people become rabid dogs. They post stuff in their Live Journals or their blogs that is just plain insulting. And you wonder what happened to that friendship factor. It's sad to me how people that I like are now at each other's throats over politics. And these are people who liked each other a couple of months ago - but now they've labeled each other as the opposition & so they have to be enemies. Apparently there is no such thing as just plain old disagreeing with someone - because if you think differently than I do, you must be stupid. It's not possible that good people just see things differently than you do - if they don't see things your way than they are "evil" or "misguided". And I can't even count how many informative discussions I've seen derailed by being bogged down by minutae like grammar or tiny unimportant "facts" or ridiculous meaningless trivia. And both sides are guilty of this (and isn't it sad that I have to qualify almost everything these days by saying that because otherwise you get accused of being partisan & once again you get sidetracked down an unimportant path).

There are a lot of things that I find to be "gray" areas in life. And I don't fit into a neat little political box. I self-identify as a libertarian but there are things that they believe that I'm not entirely comfortable with either. I am always fascinated at people who fit so neatly into the Republican or Democratic box and cannot even begin to see that the other side has any valid points at all. Is everything really so black and white to everyone else? Am I the only one who finds that I can sometimes argue both sides of an issue with equal validity?

So mostly I've been avoiding discussing politics in my Live Journal and on this blog. My husband, Chris, as you can tell, is a hardcore Republican who is now in love with Sarah Palin. Once again I find myself seeing two sides to something. I agree with Ms. Palin's views on certain things and on others I have very deep problems with her. While I side with her small government, quasi-libertarian take on issues and I admire her willingness to take on the "politics as usual" politicians, I am having a LOT of trouble getting past her Anti-Choice, Anti-Gay, Pro-Christianity viewpoints. So I can see why both sides would like and dislike her.

I think that the name-calling and the hardcore party affiliating is detrimental to the country. People are so caught up in having their "side" win that they are losing track of the things that are important. And basically most people want the same things: A decent paying job, the ability to provide for themselves and their families, a safe place to live - those are universal desires. We just disagree on how best to get those things.

But having said all of that, there are certain things that have been annoying me about the election and I'd like to get them off my chest.

So here, without further ado, is:

"Crap that's bugging me"

First: a list of things I absolutely don't give a shit about & don't want to hear about anymore:

1) Who has more or the right "experience". Let's face it folks, being President is not exactly a regular job. Can anyone really be totally prepared for this kind of responsibility? And it's not like the President doesn't have access to specialized advisors & research on every single thing that might come up. The point is not how much experience someone has - it has to do with their overall point of view, values, and priorities. Because that is what will guide them in making their future decisions.

2) John McCain, POW. Yes, he's a hero. Yes, I feel sad every time I see that he can't raise his arms all the way. No, it has nothing to do with him being President.

3) Sarah Palin, Bad Mother. Yes her teenage daughter is going to have a baby. So are a gazillion other teenage girls in this country. Some of them have good parents. Some of them have bad parents. Some of them are Christians. Some of them are Atheists. Shit happens. You raise your kids the best way you know how & then they go and do what they will. And you hope that they find their way to adulthood & independence safely & happily. But having a kid that screws up doesn't make someone a bad parent or a bad person. If I hear one more person without kids getting self-righteous about this, I'm going to smack them. If I hear another person with small children or babies say "when my daughter is that age, it'll never happen because I will monitor her day & night & supervise her every breathing moment, blah, blah, blah..." I am going to laugh in their faces & hope that I get to see them again in 15 years. Because you are KIDDING yourself.

4) Sarah Palin, Hockey Mother. Umm, no - she's the Governor. She's not doing the hockey carpool. Not that that makes her a bad mother. She's a working mom who relies on her husband. Which is fine. But don't make it seem like she's the one doing the primary child care right now. She's not. Again - not a bad thing at all - but let's be honest about the situation. Speaking of this...

5) Sarah Palin, Uncaring Monster who has no business going to work while she has five kids and/or a special-needs child. Seriously - are we still doing this now? In 2008? And Dems - I especially wouldn't have expected this from you. You're supposed to be the party for women. And you are pushing back the women's movement forty years. Are we really still saying that a woman has to stay home if she has kids? That she can't have a career? Did you all get on John Edwards' case when he had a sick wife? Are you bitching at Barack because he's got two kids to raise? She has five kids, a supportive husband who is able to do the primary child care, a career that pays her enough to have household help & provide all kinds of medical care for her special needs kid. Sounds like she's way ahead of the game. Most working mothers I know would love to have that kind of situation.

6) "They only chose Sarah Palin because they think we're stupid enough to vote for ANY woman just because she's a woman." Ummm - so it's not possible that there are women who actually AGREE with Palin. They can't possibly be supporting her because they like, respect & agree with her? The only reason to vote for her would be because you're stupid enough to vote for a woman for the sake of being a woman. Again - this is just sexism & it's beneath you, Dems.

7) "McCain has fourteen houses & diamond furniture."/"Obama is an elitist that made a zillion dollars last year." If you think that either one of these guys is not a rich guy with no idea what it's like to eat spaghetti three days in a row because it's cheap, you are kidding yourself. Neither one of them has a clue what it's like to be in the Middle Class. They both have more money, more opportunities, more education, and much different economic concerns than you or I. So there is no point in arguing over this one people. It's a fucking tie. Okay?


And my last thought on this matter: McCain/Obama are so similar in their positions that it is RIDICULOUS that you are all arguing so fiercely.