(no subject)
It's exciting to watch history being made, regardless of where I stand on the issues. On more than one decision, I was undecided until fairly late in the game -- a political stance is not always the same as a moral stance, even though the latter informs and influences the former, and for now, that's all I'll say about who/what I voted for.
I am, however, ready for this election to be over (and not just because I'm tired of the commercials, although that's a big part of it). It's a disheartening thing to lean towards the more conservative end of the spectrum in a state and city that is very liberal. It's not because I disagree with the people I'm in close contact with, because that doesn't preclude or negate friendships, respect, and effective working relationships, but because there's been such a sense of "conservatives are stupid, unintelligent, uninformed, biased, prejudiced, fundamentalist, bigoted..." (and it seems to go on).
I've heard ads stating that people who vote for [fill-in-the-blank] are obviously not thinking, because if they were, no one in their right mind would vote for it (and while the sentence as a whole may be a paraphrase, the last phrase is not). I hear--constantly--the put-downs and perceived stupidity of conservative voters.
And yes, I realize that it's not limited to the conservative side of the political spectrum, but around here, that's what I hear most, and I'm tired of it. I realize that it won't completely go away after the election, but I hope it dies down. For all the people who contribute to the perpetuation of the stereotypes about right-wing fundamentalists' narrow-mindedness, there is, in some people, just as much unwillingness to recognize that conservatives (and particularly evangelical Christians) can be informed, intelligent, critically thoughtful, and socially conscious -- and yet come to an opposite conclusion.
I expect that the derision will get worse for a few days before it gets better, but my philosophy throughout this election has been to lay low and not pick fights. I've discussed my stances and my struggles with both sides of the issues with anyone who's asked (ask Mariah, if no one else; I'm more than willing to discuss my thoughts with someone who disagrees with me on almost every issue), but I generally haven't volunteered the information. I'm not ready to fight those battles on a larger scale.
(And on a totally separate note, Colin and I were supposed to have a good, long phone conversation tonight, but he lost a power adapter for a piece of equipment that's integral to a project he's working on, so what was supposed to be an hour-long project turned into a long search of the basement for the cord and a partially-finished project [I'm assuming, since I haven't heard whether he actually found it or not], and we didn't get a chance to talk. Stupid power cord.)
I am, however, ready for this election to be over (and not just because I'm tired of the commercials, although that's a big part of it). It's a disheartening thing to lean towards the more conservative end of the spectrum in a state and city that is very liberal. It's not because I disagree with the people I'm in close contact with, because that doesn't preclude or negate friendships, respect, and effective working relationships, but because there's been such a sense of "conservatives are stupid, unintelligent, uninformed, biased, prejudiced, fundamentalist, bigoted..." (and it seems to go on).
I've heard ads stating that people who vote for [fill-in-the-blank] are obviously not thinking, because if they were, no one in their right mind would vote for it (and while the sentence as a whole may be a paraphrase, the last phrase is not). I hear--constantly--the put-downs and perceived stupidity of conservative voters.
And yes, I realize that it's not limited to the conservative side of the political spectrum, but around here, that's what I hear most, and I'm tired of it. I realize that it won't completely go away after the election, but I hope it dies down. For all the people who contribute to the perpetuation of the stereotypes about right-wing fundamentalists' narrow-mindedness, there is, in some people, just as much unwillingness to recognize that conservatives (and particularly evangelical Christians) can be informed, intelligent, critically thoughtful, and socially conscious -- and yet come to an opposite conclusion.
I expect that the derision will get worse for a few days before it gets better, but my philosophy throughout this election has been to lay low and not pick fights. I've discussed my stances and my struggles with both sides of the issues with anyone who's asked (ask Mariah, if no one else; I'm more than willing to discuss my thoughts with someone who disagrees with me on almost every issue), but I generally haven't volunteered the information. I'm not ready to fight those battles on a larger scale.
(And on a totally separate note, Colin and I were supposed to have a good, long phone conversation tonight, but he lost a power adapter for a piece of equipment that's integral to a project he's working on, so what was supposed to be an hour-long project turned into a long search of the basement for the cord and a partially-finished project [I'm assuming, since I haven't heard whether he actually found it or not], and we didn't get a chance to talk. Stupid power cord.)