The Great Divide and Apathy Towards Politics
April 8, 2017 at 5:49 am
(This post was last modified: April 8, 2017 at 5:50 am by AceBoogie.)
After the most recent Presidential election two things have become more apparent to me than ever before: the divide between "left" and "right" and the apathetic attitude that most younger people have towards politics and government. I am an inherently self-centered person so it should not be surprising to anyone that I couldn't care less about politics... but recent events have made me start to worry about the future of our country more than ever.
To any of my conservative acquaintances out there, please don't think that this is going to be some Trump-phobic rant. That's not where I'm going with this, though Trump is certainly part of the picture I hope to paint. I can't speak for any generation other than my own, if I even can speak for my own, but I would argue that people my age (millennials as many would call us) simply do not care about politics. As for myself, I see this great divide between the left and the right... I see Trump - untrustworthy, lying moronic sack of dung that he is. I see Clinton - manipulative, conniving and buddy-buddy with the establishment. And I'm forced to ask, "What's the point? Why should I participate in any of this?" As misguided as this type of attitude may be, it is still somewhat well founded.
When is any of this going to change? In 2017, our political processes seem to be quite behind the times. Our lawmakers and the laws they create seem to trail behind the cultural consensus of how things "should be," and people everywhere can sense this. Politics seems to be an old man's game, and maybe it always has been this way, but I'm truly concerned that as the years go on, less and less people are going to be concerned with continuing this relay race.
I think it is time for change. Not the Obama brand of change. Not the Trump brand of change. Real change. Real reform.
It is 2017 and America still runs based on some document that was written over 200 years ago... Does that truly make sense to anyone? Following tradition for traditions sake isn't good for anyone. I'll refer you to The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.
Does it make sense that we have one person running a country populated by over 300 million people?
I'm not saying that some sort of purist democratic system is the answer either... with well over half of this country being populated by people who still believe in imaginary stories, I don't necessarily like the idea of everything being left up to a popular vote either. But what exactly is it going to take for us to change?
The liberals are concerned with making everything fair and equal and unoffensive and the right seem to be concerned with "making America Great Again!" - whatever the fuck that means. Both sides are moronic and do more to divide us than anything. Black Lives Matter... Police shootings... Refugees... What the fuck are we doing?
I'm a Satanist. I'm too self-involved to ever truly be interested in politics. But goddam it's a sad day when even I'm worried about the direction our country is going in. I know that in America it's easy to say, "Oh, you're overreacting! We've always gone through ups and downs, this point in history is no different." But I'm not so sure. For people to be this fucking stupid in this day and age is surprising and depressing at the same time. I know I'll be okay. I know where I'll go and what I'll do if shit hits the fan. But I hope it never comes to that.
Let me just say... to other Americans on here... we're not as invincible as we think we are. It'd be a bit much to say I'm scared. But worried? Honestly, yea, a little bit. I know we like to believe that our reality is unshakable and that things will always be okay, even if a little turbulent, but I'm just not so sure about that.
Just some thoughts.
/rant
To any of my conservative acquaintances out there, please don't think that this is going to be some Trump-phobic rant. That's not where I'm going with this, though Trump is certainly part of the picture I hope to paint. I can't speak for any generation other than my own, if I even can speak for my own, but I would argue that people my age (millennials as many would call us) simply do not care about politics. As for myself, I see this great divide between the left and the right... I see Trump - untrustworthy, lying moronic sack of dung that he is. I see Clinton - manipulative, conniving and buddy-buddy with the establishment. And I'm forced to ask, "What's the point? Why should I participate in any of this?" As misguided as this type of attitude may be, it is still somewhat well founded.
When is any of this going to change? In 2017, our political processes seem to be quite behind the times. Our lawmakers and the laws they create seem to trail behind the cultural consensus of how things "should be," and people everywhere can sense this. Politics seems to be an old man's game, and maybe it always has been this way, but I'm truly concerned that as the years go on, less and less people are going to be concerned with continuing this relay race.
I think it is time for change. Not the Obama brand of change. Not the Trump brand of change. Real change. Real reform.
It is 2017 and America still runs based on some document that was written over 200 years ago... Does that truly make sense to anyone? Following tradition for traditions sake isn't good for anyone. I'll refer you to The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.
Does it make sense that we have one person running a country populated by over 300 million people?
I'm not saying that some sort of purist democratic system is the answer either... with well over half of this country being populated by people who still believe in imaginary stories, I don't necessarily like the idea of everything being left up to a popular vote either. But what exactly is it going to take for us to change?
The liberals are concerned with making everything fair and equal and unoffensive and the right seem to be concerned with "making America Great Again!" - whatever the fuck that means. Both sides are moronic and do more to divide us than anything. Black Lives Matter... Police shootings... Refugees... What the fuck are we doing?
I'm a Satanist. I'm too self-involved to ever truly be interested in politics. But goddam it's a sad day when even I'm worried about the direction our country is going in. I know that in America it's easy to say, "Oh, you're overreacting! We've always gone through ups and downs, this point in history is no different." But I'm not so sure. For people to be this fucking stupid in this day and age is surprising and depressing at the same time. I know I'll be okay. I know where I'll go and what I'll do if shit hits the fan. But I hope it never comes to that.
Let me just say... to other Americans on here... we're not as invincible as we think we are. It'd be a bit much to say I'm scared. But worried? Honestly, yea, a little bit. I know we like to believe that our reality is unshakable and that things will always be okay, even if a little turbulent, but I'm just not so sure about that.
Just some thoughts.
/rant
“Love is the only bow on Life’s dark cloud. It is the morning and the evening star. It shines upon the babe, and sheds its radiance on the quiet tomb. It is the mother of art, inspirer of poet, patriot and philosopher.
It is the air and light of every heart – builder of every home, kindler of every fire on every hearth. It was the first to dream of immortality. It fills the world with melody – for music is the voice of love.
Love is the magician, the enchanter, that changes worthless things to Joy, and makes royal kings and queens of common clay. It is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart, and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with it, earth is heaven, and we are gods.” - Robert. G. Ingersoll
It is the air and light of every heart – builder of every home, kindler of every fire on every hearth. It was the first to dream of immortality. It fills the world with melody – for music is the voice of love.
Love is the magician, the enchanter, that changes worthless things to Joy, and makes royal kings and queens of common clay. It is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart, and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with it, earth is heaven, and we are gods.” - Robert. G. Ingersoll
