Institutionalized Polarity
Earlier I spent a little while flipping between CNN and CNN2 to get a glimpse of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. It struck me that the republicans were all sitting around the usual boring tables, discussing various bills and amendments, while the democrats had the most flashy and theatrical political convention I've seen. The DNC is taking place in a giant hall, on an expensive set, with a lot of bright lights, special effects, music, and generally the kind of performance from people on stage you'd expect to see at an entertainment awards ceremony. The RNC is just republicans talking back and forth in the usual manner.
What I also noticed is how the democrats actively address important social issues, such as discrimination, health care, economic problems, et cetera, while the republicans discuss Internet gambling and gay marriage. It strikes me that the democrats are at least publicly acknowledging the sorts of issues a government should address, while the republicans are simply concerning themselves with culture control. These republicans do not care if you are poor, starving, ill, overworked, underpaid, or socially outcast based on race-ethnicity, gender, or other socially defined qualities; they only care if you're sinning against their contrived and senseless standards of behavior.
I am simultaneously impressed by the democrats' commitment to at least talking about important issues and disappointed in their gross theatrics. I am utterly appalled at the republicans and the Orwellian nightmare they've been working to institute, and I would like to note that "religious liberties" is an oxymoron when used in the context of outlawing abortion and homosexual marriage. I am deeply disappointed in the binary system of political garbage that has become one of the strongest and most dysfunctional social structures in this country, and I believe every possible measure should be taken to convert this structure into one of multiplicity-that a myriad of efforts should be put forth to at least bring us toward a trinary political system with the hope of further progress towards political freedom and selection.
One thought that comes to mind is that media outlets, from small to large, should actively publicize activity amongst the secondary and tertiary parties, and they should purposefully include at least three party candidates when tracking elections wherever possible. (There are, of course, smaller elections for which no additional parties actively bid.) It's a terrible sign of our dysfunctional social structure that many people don't even recognize that we have more than two political parties in this country. The Wikipedia List of political parties in the United States helps to demonstrate the social stratification of political power by listing the dozens of political parties of which most people have never heard. I don't think we can ever hope for real change in this country without demonstrable progress away from the binary system and toward a system of plurality.
What I also noticed is how the democrats actively address important social issues, such as discrimination, health care, economic problems, et cetera, while the republicans discuss Internet gambling and gay marriage. It strikes me that the democrats are at least publicly acknowledging the sorts of issues a government should address, while the republicans are simply concerning themselves with culture control. These republicans do not care if you are poor, starving, ill, overworked, underpaid, or socially outcast based on race-ethnicity, gender, or other socially defined qualities; they only care if you're sinning against their contrived and senseless standards of behavior.
I am simultaneously impressed by the democrats' commitment to at least talking about important issues and disappointed in their gross theatrics. I am utterly appalled at the republicans and the Orwellian nightmare they've been working to institute, and I would like to note that "religious liberties" is an oxymoron when used in the context of outlawing abortion and homosexual marriage. I am deeply disappointed in the binary system of political garbage that has become one of the strongest and most dysfunctional social structures in this country, and I believe every possible measure should be taken to convert this structure into one of multiplicity-that a myriad of efforts should be put forth to at least bring us toward a trinary political system with the hope of further progress towards political freedom and selection.
One thought that comes to mind is that media outlets, from small to large, should actively publicize activity amongst the secondary and tertiary parties, and they should purposefully include at least three party candidates when tracking elections wherever possible. (There are, of course, smaller elections for which no additional parties actively bid.) It's a terrible sign of our dysfunctional social structure that many people don't even recognize that we have more than two political parties in this country. The Wikipedia List of political parties in the United States helps to demonstrate the social stratification of political power by listing the dozens of political parties of which most people have never heard. I don't think we can ever hope for real change in this country without demonstrable progress away from the binary system and toward a system of plurality.