(Yep - Cross-Post)
It's interesting to me. It's claimed that Bush won, that he got more popular votes, etc. Even in the places Kerry won, it was by a toe-over 50%. Which should mean that half the people I know shoulda been talking very strongly for Bush, and the other half for Kerry.
That's not what I heard, though. I heard damned few people I know talking up Bush. Even the one person I know who was (and is) Republican-Or-Die said he couldn't bring himself to vote for Bush this time, so he'd be cast-off voting independent (because while he couldn't stomach voting for Bush, he also couldn't make himself vote Democrat).
In fact, of all the people I know and know how they planned to vote, I know only two people who stated they would vote for Bush and will be pleased today with the result. And the people who I heard on the news and such talking of backing him gave reasons that are so far outside of my understanding that I cannot even justify it under "freedom of choice". Enforcing your rights at the expense of others having theirs, "religious righteousness", guns... Odd things that I can't understand choosing the leader of your nation on the basis of. "The Big Issues". And on the friends' lists, there are tears and bitterness and anger and frustration and a feeling of futility... Not a single person posted "Yay, Bush is in! Thank God!"
And it makes me wonder. If 50% of the people in this country are super-pro Bush, why do I know so few? Have I actually managed to construct a world where I am surrounded by people who think similarly to myself? It reminds me of that message board thread at the one web-hosting com, where they were talking about gay people with such hostility (I posted it here), and I was so unused to hearing that kind of talk that it truly took me a few posts to realize they weren't kidding.
Which, in some odd way, gives me a bit of hope that some day, those who think differently can manage to build a life and a world to live in where we manage to remove ourselves so fully from people like that - be so untouched by them - that they no longer affect us.
~*~ Edit: Which, then, leads me to the disturbing realization that I'm advocating segregation.
I've no answers... ~*~
That's not what I heard, though. I heard damned few people I know talking up Bush. Even the one person I know who was (and is) Republican-Or-Die said he couldn't bring himself to vote for Bush this time, so he'd be cast-off voting independent (because while he couldn't stomach voting for Bush, he also couldn't make himself vote Democrat).
In fact, of all the people I know and know how they planned to vote, I know only two people who stated they would vote for Bush and will be pleased today with the result. And the people who I heard on the news and such talking of backing him gave reasons that are so far outside of my understanding that I cannot even justify it under "freedom of choice". Enforcing your rights at the expense of others having theirs, "religious righteousness", guns... Odd things that I can't understand choosing the leader of your nation on the basis of. "The Big Issues". And on the friends' lists, there are tears and bitterness and anger and frustration and a feeling of futility... Not a single person posted "Yay, Bush is in! Thank God!"
And it makes me wonder. If 50% of the people in this country are super-pro Bush, why do I know so few? Have I actually managed to construct a world where I am surrounded by people who think similarly to myself? It reminds me of that message board thread at the one web-hosting com, where they were talking about gay people with such hostility (I posted it here), and I was so unused to hearing that kind of talk that it truly took me a few posts to realize they weren't kidding.
Which, in some odd way, gives me a bit of hope that some day, those who think differently can manage to build a life and a world to live in where we manage to remove ourselves so fully from people like that - be so untouched by them - that they no longer affect us.
~*~ Edit: Which, then, leads me to the disturbing realization that I'm advocating segregation.
I've no answers... ~*~