✭ public service announcement no. 2
Putting off homework for a second to respond to the presidential debates in my usual, diplomatic, no-nonsense (as Lore would put it) way. Sorry, you're not getting a cut today. :|
I'm trying my hardest to stay neutral about everything, and it's really getting difficult for me to hold back my opinion as we get closer to election day. I actually started this entry by writing about what I thought about the debates, but I knew that was the wrong decision when it got too opinionated. Let me tell you why.
Politics is right up there with religion, in that people take things personally, and get quite, quite angry over it. Think about it: wars always start from either political or religious conflicts, and most often a combination of the two. People always want to think they're right, and this holds ESPECIALLY true for beliefs about hard-hitting issues like taxes, abortion, and all that controversial stuff.
I've said this before, you all know that. When emotions get in the way, it's nigh on impossible to stay impartial about anything, political or not. Why do you think they have such heated debates on TV? Make advertisements targeted at the opposing candidate? Write editorials in the paper?
This stuff breaks relationships, guys; I see it all the time, and I'm sure you do too. Which is why I don't want to see that happen to anyone, anymore, as long as I can help it.
Do me a favour. If/when you're talking with your buddies about current events, try your best to separate politics from friendship, okay? Believe me, it's possible to stay friends with people you don't agree with. You can stay on good terms, as long as you keep your emotions in check and don't flare up. I've known people who've disagreed with me for years and years now, and somehow, we still get on fine. It's where the term "agree to disagree" comes from, and I'd like to see you all follow that to the letter.
Take the high road. "Be the better person" as described in this article (thanks, solidor!).
Refrain from doling out personal attacks, just as you wouldn't like to receive them yourself.
Accept the other person's opinions, no matter how much you disagree with them. It is just as much your right to have beliefs as it is theirs.
Take it seriously, guys. Some superficial jokes are okay, sure; I enjoyed that SNL skit as much as the next person. But when you start rifling for ammo by taking things out of context, and using petty insults and small slip-ups to your advantage as actual arguments, that's just. Not cool by me. We can laugh about it, sure. But like I've said before, when it comes down to it, it's still the future of the country (and the world!) in your hands, so you have to make the best choice you can based on fact alone.
Going with that, above all, you should always be working to dig deeper than what you see and hear, because the truth tends to lie beneath the surface. I know you can find it.
Besides, you don't need to slander or be hurtful to get your point across. The media does that enough for all of us already! :')
*steps off soapbox* Thanks for reading, once again~ :) I almost expect this post to be more inflammatory than the last one, but I'm not afraid of the consequences.
Canadian debates? What Canadian debates? xD
I'm trying my hardest to stay neutral about everything, and it's really getting difficult for me to hold back my opinion as we get closer to election day. I actually started this entry by writing about what I thought about the debates, but I knew that was the wrong decision when it got too opinionated. Let me tell you why.
Politics is right up there with religion, in that people take things personally, and get quite, quite angry over it. Think about it: wars always start from either political or religious conflicts, and most often a combination of the two. People always want to think they're right, and this holds ESPECIALLY true for beliefs about hard-hitting issues like taxes, abortion, and all that controversial stuff.
I've said this before, you all know that. When emotions get in the way, it's nigh on impossible to stay impartial about anything, political or not. Why do you think they have such heated debates on TV? Make advertisements targeted at the opposing candidate? Write editorials in the paper?
This stuff breaks relationships, guys; I see it all the time, and I'm sure you do too. Which is why I don't want to see that happen to anyone, anymore, as long as I can help it.
Do me a favour. If/when you're talking with your buddies about current events, try your best to separate politics from friendship, okay? Believe me, it's possible to stay friends with people you don't agree with. You can stay on good terms, as long as you keep your emotions in check and don't flare up. I've known people who've disagreed with me for years and years now, and somehow, we still get on fine. It's where the term "agree to disagree" comes from, and I'd like to see you all follow that to the letter.
Take the high road. "Be the better person" as described in this article (thanks, solidor!).
Refrain from doling out personal attacks, just as you wouldn't like to receive them yourself.
Accept the other person's opinions, no matter how much you disagree with them. It is just as much your right to have beliefs as it is theirs.
Take it seriously, guys. Some superficial jokes are okay, sure; I enjoyed that SNL skit as much as the next person. But when you start rifling for ammo by taking things out of context, and using petty insults and small slip-ups to your advantage as actual arguments, that's just. Not cool by me. We can laugh about it, sure. But like I've said before, when it comes down to it, it's still the future of the country (and the world!) in your hands, so you have to make the best choice you can based on fact alone.
Going with that, above all, you should always be working to dig deeper than what you see and hear, because the truth tends to lie beneath the surface. I know you can find it.
Besides, you don't need to slander or be hurtful to get your point across. The media does that enough for all of us already! :')
*steps off soapbox* Thanks for reading, once again~ :) I almost expect this post to be more inflammatory than the last one, but I'm not afraid of the consequences.
Canadian debates? What Canadian debates? xD