Why I Chose to Write About Politics
Yesterday, a piece I wrote about Donald Trump was published on our local newspaper's website.
If you haven't read it, its here .
It did not go over well.
Besides the whole world having done gone and lost all its chill, I idiotically forgot for a second that I am not allowed to have an opinion that differs from some of the readers of our little paper.
For real, people were having such negative reactions that I almost wore sunglasses inside the Fred Meyer today Kanye-style in hopes that no one would recognize me as the person who dared share her opinion in the local paper.
Look, this election cycle has everyone spinning, and I can get that. It's not exactly unique to this cycle that politics can be a divisive topic--its like that saying goes, don't talk about religion or politics at family gatherings (nor, evidently should you discuss then in local news papers).
But, still, I went there...with the same vain hope that I could present my thoughts and be read as one of millions of opinions without getting hammered, as the vain hopes of the millions of other people who have stood in line at the polls, casting a ballot for a better tomorrow.
Because if there is one thing many of these responses has shown me, it is that a lot of American's aren't mature enough to have the hard conversations and make the tough compromises that are necessary in-order to get this country back on track.
And I get it--you're sick of compromising. You feel like you have given and given and gotten nothing back. I get it, truly. But if change is going to happen, the conversations and compromises will have to happen on both sides, and we can't do that if we're getting all bent out of shape because someone has a different opinion than ours.
It would be lovely if we as a nation could come to a consensus and start building a better country for our kids, but for the reason I mentioned before, I don't see that happening.
Call me a pessimist, but when we talk about presidential nominees, I believe they are all pushing the same load of unifying crap as the other candidate. It may come from a different animal, but all of the talk about change and unity and reaching across the aisle is all poop because people are unwilling to be disagreed with.
So whether you #feeltheBern or vote #Trump2016 or any candidate in-between, I have no doubt that every single voter is doing their part to change the country for what they hope is the better. And regardless of how you vote, that is awesome.
What cheapens democracy is when someone dares to voice an opinion that is contrary to someone else's and all hell breaks loose.
It is naive to think that one person can be the catalyst to change in our country. Change does not start at the national level, it starts with you.
When debating someone face-to-face, you can choose whether to get angry and defensive or you can choose to thoughtfully reflect and then present your own ideas. You can choose to be a decent human being to your neighbor or local columnist, no matter their political or religious views, or you can choose to rant and rave at them like a lunatic.
But if you're serious about politics (and you should be--voting is a huge privledge), if you're serious about having the right to your opinions, then it would be prudent to respect others when they're sharing theirs.
You don't have to agree with them or respect their opinions even, but you should at the very least respect the other person as a human being.
Before I go make some chicken pot pies, I just wanted to say one more thing and that is for all of you Christians reading this who are voting for Trump, I'd like to remind you that David beat Goliath with a pebble and a slingshot; God used a young, unmarried girl to be the mother of His Child--God didn't use the loudest, rudest showiest means of acclomplsihing His goals. He used a kid and a sling shot A single young girl. Time and again in the Bible we see God use unlikely characters, humble and broken people to do His will. We are admonished over and over again to have humility we are told the meek shall inherit the earth.(Look, I know I need as much help with that at times as anyone, but part of being Christian is admitting your sins and repenting. It's a cross I take up daily, but I'm trying.)
And if that doesn't give you pause, Christians, then consider this: you're voting for a man who professes to be a follower of God but, by his own admission, has never asked for forgiveness from God for anything. If we don't need forgiveness, we don't need Jesus. You can't follow Jesus if you don't need Him. What could he possibly be saying that compensates for that?
Alright, y'all...pot pie time.
SideNote: Since I wrote a satirical piece likening DTrump to a clown, I thought it only fair to mention here that Bernie Sanders is one lumberjack beard and a microbrew IPA away from playing the Santa role in a "Welcome to Oregon" ad. Gotta love these candidates.
If you haven't read it, its here .
It did not go over well.
Besides the whole world having done gone and lost all its chill, I idiotically forgot for a second that I am not allowed to have an opinion that differs from some of the readers of our little paper.
For real, people were having such negative reactions that I almost wore sunglasses inside the Fred Meyer today Kanye-style in hopes that no one would recognize me as the person who dared share her opinion in the local paper.
Look, this election cycle has everyone spinning, and I can get that. It's not exactly unique to this cycle that politics can be a divisive topic--its like that saying goes, don't talk about religion or politics at family gatherings (nor, evidently should you discuss then in local news papers).
But, still, I went there...with the same vain hope that I could present my thoughts and be read as one of millions of opinions without getting hammered, as the vain hopes of the millions of other people who have stood in line at the polls, casting a ballot for a better tomorrow.
Because if there is one thing many of these responses has shown me, it is that a lot of American's aren't mature enough to have the hard conversations and make the tough compromises that are necessary in-order to get this country back on track.
And I get it--you're sick of compromising. You feel like you have given and given and gotten nothing back. I get it, truly. But if change is going to happen, the conversations and compromises will have to happen on both sides, and we can't do that if we're getting all bent out of shape because someone has a different opinion than ours.
It would be lovely if we as a nation could come to a consensus and start building a better country for our kids, but for the reason I mentioned before, I don't see that happening.
Call me a pessimist, but when we talk about presidential nominees, I believe they are all pushing the same load of unifying crap as the other candidate. It may come from a different animal, but all of the talk about change and unity and reaching across the aisle is all poop because people are unwilling to be disagreed with.
So whether you #feeltheBern or vote #Trump2016 or any candidate in-between, I have no doubt that every single voter is doing their part to change the country for what they hope is the better. And regardless of how you vote, that is awesome.
What cheapens democracy is when someone dares to voice an opinion that is contrary to someone else's and all hell breaks loose.
It is naive to think that one person can be the catalyst to change in our country. Change does not start at the national level, it starts with you.
When debating someone face-to-face, you can choose whether to get angry and defensive or you can choose to thoughtfully reflect and then present your own ideas. You can choose to be a decent human being to your neighbor or local columnist, no matter their political or religious views, or you can choose to rant and rave at them like a lunatic.
But if you're serious about politics (and you should be--voting is a huge privledge), if you're serious about having the right to your opinions, then it would be prudent to respect others when they're sharing theirs.
You don't have to agree with them or respect their opinions even, but you should at the very least respect the other person as a human being.
Before I go make some chicken pot pies, I just wanted to say one more thing and that is for all of you Christians reading this who are voting for Trump, I'd like to remind you that David beat Goliath with a pebble and a slingshot; God used a young, unmarried girl to be the mother of His Child--God didn't use the loudest, rudest showiest means of acclomplsihing His goals. He used a kid and a sling shot A single young girl. Time and again in the Bible we see God use unlikely characters, humble and broken people to do His will. We are admonished over and over again to have humility we are told the meek shall inherit the earth.(Look, I know I need as much help with that at times as anyone, but part of being Christian is admitting your sins and repenting. It's a cross I take up daily, but I'm trying.)
And if that doesn't give you pause, Christians, then consider this: you're voting for a man who professes to be a follower of God but, by his own admission, has never asked for forgiveness from God for anything. If we don't need forgiveness, we don't need Jesus. You can't follow Jesus if you don't need Him. What could he possibly be saying that compensates for that?
Alright, y'all...pot pie time.
SideNote: Since I wrote a satirical piece likening DTrump to a clown, I thought it only fair to mention here that Bernie Sanders is one lumberjack beard and a microbrew IPA away from playing the Santa role in a "Welcome to Oregon" ad. Gotta love these candidates.
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