As you must know by now, an important election is taking place in a few short days. In the weeks leading up to this historic event, your normal, opinion-less friends have probably turned into insufferable champions of issues you can only pretend to comprehend.
“Lilly Ledbetter? More like ‘Really LedWorst Thing Ever’ … no, but seriously I have no idea what that is.”
These past three years have been a wonderful de-militarized zone of policy discussions, everyone going about their days grumbling to themselves instead of spewing their venom onto others. But this is an election year, and it seems we have no time for civility with so much on the line.
I won’t tell you whom I’m voting for because I’m a journalist and need to remain objective. What I will say is that I think we’ve bastardized the entire political process by taking up sides like our candidates are contestants in “The Hunger Games.” When the debates are in progress, Twitter and Facebook blow up with cries of “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Any time one of the candidates has a gaff, supporters from the embarrassed party work tirelessly to dig up dirt on the other guy that is equally or more damning. Half my friends are convinced an elongated Obama presidency will result in America turning into a 3,000 mile, smoldering crater where life can no longer exist. The other half believes the same to be true about Romney.
Don’t you think we’re all overreacting just a little bit? I don’t mean to imply the election of a president isn’t a significant decision we all must take time to think about. But I am saying that the way we’re going about it all, when you distance yourself from the vortex, is a little absurd.
I don’t know President Barack Obama, but I can almost promise you he doesn’t want America to fall into a massive, metaphorical sinkhole. I’m sure Mitt Romney truly thinks his plan for America will result in a better life for everyone. Sure, anyone who has the thought come into their mind that they should be the leader of the free world, and then goes through with it, is a little insane, but that’s the nature of the beast.
I think we’d all be best served to realize both these men are vying to become our president. So treating the race like a fight to the death between Gandalf and the Dark Lord Sauron (whichever side you stand on) isn’t helping anyone.
It’s ok to have an opinion, but every four years we segregate ourselves into two snotty groups of adolescents who just trash the other group and laugh at how absurd and ridiculous their viewpoints are.
One of these men will be president, but the world will continue to turn. Four years from now we’ll all be having the same discussions, arguing about the “good old days of 2012.” We’ll get through this. We always do.
So by all means, converse with your friends in the days leading up to the election. But — I don’t know — maybe picture them as something other than a Dementor when they’re explaining their view on abortion.
