Politics, oh Politics.
I never write in this thing, and as much as I have tried to convince myself to ignore all the political hoopla that is going on, I just couldn’t. I found myself thinking about the issues, as well as researching the candidates and whether either of them is worth voting for, and I think I am nearing a decision on this whole Bush vs. Kerry thing (and in fact on politicians as a whole). I am quite sure, as of right now, that I am not going to vote. Yes, I said it. I know that this is very telling about my lack of patriotism, but I just can’t vote for either candidate with a clear conscience. Though I have many reasons for this, and probably most of them poorly reasoned, let me just share a few eclectic thoughts.
I have no problem with “America.” I have absolutely no problem with the basic democratic ideals that make America what it is, nor do I have any significant reservations that I’m aware of with the constitution. Instead, my issue has very little to do with the actual American system, but more to do with the current American culture as a whole. American culture as a whole has fallen into what many have been dubbed “consumerism.” Consumerism, I personally believe, is founded in the belief that some tangible thing, product, whatever, will make me happy. What this means (and I am guilty of this) is that the most appealing product, the one that looks the best, allows us to work less, be more hassle-free, and of course will somehow make our lives better, is by and large a the best thing for me. Maybe this isn’t much a problem when I am deceived into thinking that Ron Popeil’s ingenious “flavor injector” will actually improve the taste of a turkey, but what about when a political candidate uses a very similar tactic to convince me to vote for him? That is, I think that politicians have become little more than mediocre Ron Popeil’s in disguise (sorry, he is just that good), and Bush and Kerry are no exception. They have found the power of persuading the general American population by misleading, distorting facts, and in the end selling a product that is never quite as good as it looked on TV. Now there are some people who actually trust most of what either candidate says about their policies, or what they say their opponent says, and then there are others who are most skeptical. After wading back and forth on whom of my friends and family to actually listen to, TV stations to trust (Fox News vs. CNN), etc., I was intrigued by a segment on MSNBC that was devoted to researching “the facts” used in the political ads on both sides. This research, which revealed the “real” facts behind two opposing political ads, came from a non-profit, non-partisan, research group affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania (www.factcheck.org). So, I checked out the website. The website lists by date various erroneous or misleading facts that are fed to the general public (from both sides) via TV ads, radio ads, and even movies. This brings me back to those skeptical folks (including me) who are fully aware that politicians don’t always tell the truth and that negative campaign ads are often chocked full of distorted facts, and ad hominem arguments. So the inevitable question is, do you still vote for someone given the knowledge that truth telling in either candidate of choice, will, to guarantee a victory, take a back seat to the ever more important issue of winning an election? For me, I just can't. I’m currently under the persuasion that though most people want an honest, respectable, and yes, even a repentant leader, whose character is just as important as his/her policies, they will still, out of what they feel is necessity, settle for less. We have become so callous to this idea because, generally speaking, it is hard to come by decent leaders in our consumer-oriented culture; a culture that as a result of its search for more personal comfort, will inevitably sacrifice high standards for convenience with minimal commitment. I think this is wrong, as anti-pragmatic as that might be. But, the thing is that the candidates are only able to get to the place that they are because we demand very little from them, and will settle for dirty politics out of convenience. I am a part of this culture, and until I become bold enough to be counter-cultural in my belief that Truth begets freedom, I am just one of the many.
-glenn.
I have no problem with “America.” I have absolutely no problem with the basic democratic ideals that make America what it is, nor do I have any significant reservations that I’m aware of with the constitution. Instead, my issue has very little to do with the actual American system, but more to do with the current American culture as a whole. American culture as a whole has fallen into what many have been dubbed “consumerism.” Consumerism, I personally believe, is founded in the belief that some tangible thing, product, whatever, will make me happy. What this means (and I am guilty of this) is that the most appealing product, the one that looks the best, allows us to work less, be more hassle-free, and of course will somehow make our lives better, is by and large a the best thing for me. Maybe this isn’t much a problem when I am deceived into thinking that Ron Popeil’s ingenious “flavor injector” will actually improve the taste of a turkey, but what about when a political candidate uses a very similar tactic to convince me to vote for him? That is, I think that politicians have become little more than mediocre Ron Popeil’s in disguise (sorry, he is just that good), and Bush and Kerry are no exception. They have found the power of persuading the general American population by misleading, distorting facts, and in the end selling a product that is never quite as good as it looked on TV. Now there are some people who actually trust most of what either candidate says about their policies, or what they say their opponent says, and then there are others who are most skeptical. After wading back and forth on whom of my friends and family to actually listen to, TV stations to trust (Fox News vs. CNN), etc., I was intrigued by a segment on MSNBC that was devoted to researching “the facts” used in the political ads on both sides. This research, which revealed the “real” facts behind two opposing political ads, came from a non-profit, non-partisan, research group affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania (www.factcheck.org). So, I checked out the website. The website lists by date various erroneous or misleading facts that are fed to the general public (from both sides) via TV ads, radio ads, and even movies. This brings me back to those skeptical folks (including me) who are fully aware that politicians don’t always tell the truth and that negative campaign ads are often chocked full of distorted facts, and ad hominem arguments. So the inevitable question is, do you still vote for someone given the knowledge that truth telling in either candidate of choice, will, to guarantee a victory, take a back seat to the ever more important issue of winning an election? For me, I just can't. I’m currently under the persuasion that though most people want an honest, respectable, and yes, even a repentant leader, whose character is just as important as his/her policies, they will still, out of what they feel is necessity, settle for less. We have become so callous to this idea because, generally speaking, it is hard to come by decent leaders in our consumer-oriented culture; a culture that as a result of its search for more personal comfort, will inevitably sacrifice high standards for convenience with minimal commitment. I think this is wrong, as anti-pragmatic as that might be. But, the thing is that the candidates are only able to get to the place that they are because we demand very little from them, and will settle for dirty politics out of convenience. I am a part of this culture, and until I become bold enough to be counter-cultural in my belief that Truth begets freedom, I am just one of the many.
-glenn.