Just Blech.🤢

So, why I’m writing about this is totally beyond my comprehension but I’m so sick of politics I could literally spit. Phoo-toooie…there it is. 😛

There is so much going on right now regarding the election and keeping up with all of the info and issues is difficult since they change daily. Right now there are massive protests at the Capitol and there’s going to be a fight over the electoral college votes because of fraud allegations. It’s getting to the point I don’t even want to watch anymore about it.

I’m one of these people who keep my political ideals to myself outside of my family, and I don’t believe my students need to know where I stand. I primarily teach Sociology and we talk a lot about the political process and the impact of politics on our society beyond the obvious. Often times my students will ask me what ‘side’ I’m on and I always say (what is, for the most part, actually true) that I’m a moderate, and when they ask me who I voted for I don’t tell them.

Why? Because I believe teachers and professors have a huge influence on students and many of them indoctrinate their students to believe what they do. “You’re stupid if you’re Republican” is one I’ve heard myself on campus. OK. Super. Republicans are stupid. Hmmmm. And on the flip side, there are conservatives that say “You’re stupid if you’re a Democrat.” Another hmmmm. So, regardless of what party I might lean more towards, I would alienate half my students with them possibly seeing bias in all I do. To me, the purpose of education is to present the info and then let students make up their own mind using critical thinking, research, and an inventory of their own personal beliefs, etc. It’s not up to us to tell them what is ‘right’ to believe in.

Is this really the rhetoric that helps us move forward in our country? Playground accusations of being stupid, uncaring, selfish, moronic, idiotic, etc. (words actually used in public discourse 🙄)? Is America really going to be completely ‘destroyed‘ by whatever party is elected which means if you voted for them, it’s your fault too? Does being politically active mean putting out horrid tweets, posts, and articles attacking the person and their families (including kids) personally? I’ve seen this on both sides and find it particularly horrendous to attack one’s children regardless of their parents political stance.

What happened to actual discussion? Actual discourse? Actual conversations where you’re allowed to voice your ‘side’ in a way that’s accepted as a valid opinion without being berated for having one? When did we get to the point that if we don’t think like the ‘masses’ in the groups we’re a part of, we’re considered corrupt and villainous and then unfriended? Isn’t a democracy supposed to be a government ruled ‘by the people’ instead of a government using dirty tactics on both sides to win? This is what our forefathers envisioned?

I’m worried about this country. I truly am. It’s sad when we can’t even talk about issues with our family and friends, let alone in a broader audience. I know we all have different ideals but when did the hate come into it? I know families that have been torn apart this year because of the election. I know people who have to ‘lie’ in front of their ‘friends’ regarding their political beliefs so they can keep those friends and political bullying is the norm. Really?

Look, I don’t have the answers. Maybe no one does. It just seems to me that everything is a pissing contest and the winner yells the loudest to get their agenda passed. Look, I think the U.S. is the greatest country on the face of the earth…and of course I do…it’s mine! But I think things are happening that are making me think less and less of it and that breaks my heart. What lessons are kids being taught now? That everything is an ugly fight? That your opinion better match the majority’s? That if you believe differently (in anything!) you are a bad person? That if you try to have any sort of political discussion it will most likely end up in a screaming fight fraught with anxiety and stress? This is what we’ve come too? And…this is the legacy our kids are going to build on?

Kristi xoxo