Note: I despise politics, yet they’re kind of in everyone’s faces right now. Gotta love election years!
Well, the election is in T-minus three days. By the time y’all get to read this, it’ll probably be the night before election day, or perhaps even after election day. That’s insane! It doesn’t feel like it’s been four years since our last presidential election. I remember that night like it was just a few days ago. I also vividly remember watching the inauguration live in class at my private Christian school, especially since I felt so out-of-place because I was the only one sitting quietly while everyone else was whooping and hollering like it was the second coming of Christ. Of course, even if I do get very excited, I don’t celebrate like a hunting dog in a field infested with pheasants, so I don’t remember what I was feeling that day. Probably not much, because I didn’t pay attention to politics then.
This year, I’ve definitely shut politics out for the most part because, like every other year I’ve been alive, I’ve been in “survival mode” most of the time. Yet, unlike most other years, I haven’t had too much on my plate this year to really think about politics. I'm not sick, I’m not yet in college (although every day, I get a little more impatient and a little more frustrated that I can’t attend college thanks to this fucking stupid pandemic), I’m not working (thanks covid-19 for that too) unless you count being the sole house cleaner, dog walker, furniture assembler, and occasional grocery shopper for the family as work, and I don’t have to deal with people since, ya know, I’m hunkered down and spraying every Amazon package I get with Lysol before I bring it in.
I’ve had plenty of time to research and ponder current events and politics. So far, I’m not at all impressed by any party or any political candidate. I still consider myself unaffiliated with any party, although I don’t think I’m a centrist like many unaffiliated voters tend to be. Slowly but surely, I’ve been establishing what I personally value and believe by researching all the facts and sides I can find of every issue I can possibly think of, then figuring out where I stand from there.
Unfortunately, my family and friends can’t seem to quit pestering me about politics. Sometimes my phone feels like a beehive in my pocket with all the phonecalls, voicemails, and texts I get from concerned family and friends, who are hellbent on convincing me to vote for their party, even though I’ve already established that I'm not revealing my political positions, and I’ve decided not to vote this year, and nothing anyone says or does will sway me to vote. Now, you might be wondering why the hell I refuse to vote this year, when many Americans firmly believe this is “the most important election in our lifetimes” (even though that seems to be something that’s said about every presidential election). My short answer is, “I hate everyone, and fuck the system!”
But, the actual truth lies in the much longer answer to that question. Yes, I do hate everyone and everything in politics, and I do long for a much better system than the garbage we have today (I also listen to punk rock bands such as Clutch and Street Dogs, and sometimes I seriously consider dying my mane bight colors and spiking it into an epic mohawk). It’s also true that I trust the government like I trust my dogs alone with a turkey sandwich on the coffee table, hence my growing collection of Gadsden flags and hats, no matter what party’s in charge.
Most importantly, I simply don’t know who or what to believe. Nearly every person and news outlet I’ve heard talk about politics has painted an image of armageddon in my mind, with sensationalized headlines and rants about how the other side will destroy this country and everyone will die within the next four years, if they get elected or reelected. My conservative friends and family would have one believe that if the democrats gained control of the government, everyone’s firearms will be confiscated, meat and airplanes will be banned, Christianity will be criminalized, free speech will be thrown out the window, and the police will be disbanded completely. My liberal friends and family would have one believe that if the republicans maintained control of the government, the world will literally go up in flames, healthcare will be more or less banned for the common man, anyone who isn’t a straight, white, able-bodied man will be stripped of their rights and enslaved if not outright murdered, non-Christiantity will be punishable by death, free speech will be thrown out the window, and the police will have freedom to do whatever heinous shit they want and be praised for it.
See the issue? It’s impossible to find any nuance within politics. Every news headline sounds like the end is nigh, which in turn freaks people out into believing the end is truly nigh. Then, of course, these people go out and try to convince everyone they know that the end is nigh, regardless of what those people think about their loved ones’ political views. It’s truly a vicious cycle. One that gets people so riled up that they riot in the streets and stand around voting stations and politicians’ houses, brandishing weapons and threatening their opponents with violence and death unless they join their side. “If you’re not for us, you’re against us!” has been a common theme in American politics, and it seems to be even worse than usual this year. Of course, what do you expect from a population who has been quarantined and jobless since early March? We’re all a bunch of hungry, caged tigers primed to rip heads off.
I’ve definitely tried to tell everyone I know that I’m not interested in politics, and nothing they say or do will convince me to cast my ballot into anything other than the fireplace. Like I said, I do not trust the government. I do not know who to believe or what party has my best interest at heart. There’s not enough nuance or pure facts in politics to motivate me to get involved. To me, politics are just one big black-and-white, emotional mess, which is disheartening for me to see. Those who are heavily invested in politics tend to dehumanize their opponents, regardless if they know they are doing that or not. When you call your opponents evil, moronic, batshit, etc, especially without actually looking purely at the facts and challenging your own personal views, you are doing exactly what the definition of dehumanization describes.
It’s scarily easy to dehumanize the other side, especially since that’s a large part of our human nature. It’s instinct to be tribal and hostile towards those we think are threatening us, regardless if they are actually a threat or not. We’re all guilty of being unreasonably hostile towards others. We’re all guilty of dehumanizing those who oppose and scare us, even if those people really don’t mean any harm to us and just view the world differently.
In fact, the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced politics is just two people standing over a number on the floor, arguing about whether that number is a six or a nine, getting increasingly close to beating the shit out of each other. This is precisely why instead of voting this year, or getting involved in politics whatsoever (even though I’m not exactly privileged enough to safely ignore politics, as I am a woman who relies on health insurance to pay for the healthcare I need that’s worth $600,000 a year), I’m just gonna put my gaming headset over my ears and play World of Warcraft while listening to Joe Rogan podcasts for the winter. Or, I’ll be somewhere in the woods by the water, fishing, hunting for relic shells and pretty rocks on the beach, admiring the awesomeness of God’s creation, and racing my Xterra down the coast and through shallow waves like I did in Ocean Shores, Washington over the weekend.
After all, there ain’t shit I can do to change the whole world for the better. Sure, that statement’s gonna ruffle feathers and urge lots of people to come up with beautiful, poetic speeches to convince me otherwise. But, that’s what I'll believe, unless someone can prove to me with cold, hard facts that a single vote can change the outcome of an election in anything other than an elementary school classroom. I’m just one person with just one vote, in an ocean of people and votes that may or may not drown my own. What the hell can I do?
Truth is, not much at all.
