Rated P for Politics
For the first time in my life I voted. For the first time I actually put in effort to mildly understand what was going on politically in my country.
I voted. I cared. I became emotionally invested.
And I am ashamed. I am disappointed. I am flabbergasted at my state. My country.
How? How can things be the way they are?
My avoidance of politics stems all the way back to my childhood. I can remember being in my grandparents house and seeing the President on the TV. Everyone was talking about him. Their tones were angry and that concerned me.
I didn’t understand what was going on so I asked my mom, “What did the President do?”
Such an innocent question. It was the pure, unadulterated curiosity of a child trying to grasp the world around her.
“He lied,” was my mom’s answer.
As a child I was crushed. How could the President lie? He’s supposed to be the best American ever. That’s why he was in charge. Because he was a good person. Good people don’t lie.
That is where my opinion of politics comes from. Politicians are liars. Much the way people think all lawyers are evil, blood-sucking bastards, all politicians are liars to me. They aren’t interested in the county. They’re interested in self-preservation. They’re interested in their own agenda and making it big.
They don’t care about “the people”.
They care about “their people.”
That has been my stance for years. That it’s pointless to get involved because it truly doesn’t matter and our system is broken and in need of a serious update.
But this year was different. This year, being with Zane and Trevor and hearing all of their conversations and reading countless articles on the Internet I became informed. I became invested. I became aware.
Trump, an angry, bigoted, racist ass-hat.
Hilary, who started out iffy at best due to past choices, ended up lying again.
Bernie, the only politician I have ever seen, aside from Obama, who seemed to genuinely care about the American people as a whole.
I’m sure you can guess by my biased writing who I voted for in the primary.
Florida voted for Trump. What the actual fuck?
Taking Bernie out of the equation completely, my state chose a blatantly, openly hateful, spiteful person, which the UK has actually contemplated banning, over Hilary.
In a way I can understand it. At least Trump is honest about his hatefulness. At least with him we know what we’re really getting, unlike Hilary. If you’re going to lie about emails what else are you going to lie about.
Fucking own up to your actions. If they are something that would get you into trouble then don’t do them. I don’t think it’s that hard to understand. I’m pretty sure that’s one of the lessons we’re taught as children.
How is it so many people forget things that are supposed to be ingrained into us during our up-bringing?
Don’t be a dick to people.
Don’t lie.
Don’t cheat.
Don’t hurt others.
Share.
Compromise.
Have compassion.
The only person who seemed to be a “true American” in my eyes was Bernie.
It’s not about being Republican or Democratic to me. Fuck the parties and loyalty to a name.
It’s about being a decent person. It’s about having morals and values and sticking to them. It’s about being ethical. It’s about being transparent. It’s about being honest and having integrity.
Wouldn’t it be so much better if instead of parties candidates had to choose a word to represent their whole campaign?
No more Republican or Democrat bullshit. We would have “parties” called Change, Hope, Stability, Reformation, Love, Growth, Acceptance.
A single word to represent what the person believed in. What their whole campaing stands for.
How can we have issues where people get turned away because “this isn’t a republican station?” What happens to all of those people who are turned away and not allowed to vote? Why don’t we have a system like Australia where if you don’t vote you’re fined? Why don’t we make election days a national holiday where people are allowed to actually go and vote? Zane almost missed being able to vote because he had to stay at work late and he didn’t have vacation time to use to cover missing time if he left.
How fucked is that? “I can’t vote because my employer is making me choose between paying rent and investing into the future of our country?”
Is this capitalism? Is this what we stand for? Is this what the American spirit is about? Keeping the gears grinding even as they fall apart rather than improving the machine with maintenance? What good is the 15th Amendment if we aren’t given the chance by our employers to vote?
Trump doesn’t even understand the first amendment and he won in my state. What the fuck? My mind is blown. He doesn’t even understand the things our country was founded on, and in most cases goes against them completely, and we’re going to put him in charge?
I just don’t get it. And because I care, because I put in time and effort and now have an opinion, I’m angry. I’m hurt. I’m disappointed. I’m confused. And the only thing I can do is spill out all of these emotions onto a blank Word document, not caring about the red squiggle lines of misspellings and I wonder if it was even worth caring.
In an age where millions of people are in debt to prove that they are educated and productive citizens how can such an uneducated choice have been made by so many people?
I feel so alone in my view point right now. I feel I am the only one who has this perspective. I feel as if I’m the only one legitimately looking for an escape route because it seems like my choices of a leader are between Mr. Racist Ass-Hat and Mrs. Liar.
I don’t have an American I am proud of to be my leader. I don’t have someone I can stand behind and say, “Yes. This is the figurehead for my country, and I am proud of them. I believe in them. I trust them to look out for me and to care and to try to do their best.”
For the first time in my life I am ashamed
to be classified as an American.
I am ashamed of where I live because I am lumped
into a category that I do not want to be a part of.
This is not the country I was raised to believe in. This does not feel like the land of the free anymore. This does not feel like the place of opportunity, of equality. This feels like the land of the broken and weary. This feels like the land of blind sheep. This feels like the land of apathy where, “My vote doesn’t count,” really means, “I’m too lazy to try to change things.”
To everyone who didn’t vote…
Fuck you. You’re part of the problem.
I know that’s harsh. I know that’s going to make some people mad, and at the moment I’m ok with that. We deserve to be mad at each other.
This whole campaign has been a joke. It has highlighted everything that is wrong with our country, and we all deserve to be mad about that. Maybe in our anger things will change. Maybe the situation will reach such a degree of contention that there will be a breaking point, and turning point, which will cause a reaction throughout the country.
I hope my anger at you sparks something inside of you. I hope it makes you look at yourself and question what you’re doing with your life. What do you support? What do you believe in? What type of American are you? What type of country do you actually live in?
It’s not America the Great anymore.
You live in America the Joke. America the Laughing Stock of the Rest of the World. America the We’re Still Ashamed of Love and the Human Body. America the Fuck the Future and Our Children.
We live in a sick and broken country, and your choice to not vote only increased the sickness. Let it spread. Let it continue to fester. Your choice worsened the situation so now it will take even more effort to heal.
Fuck you. Fuck your apathy. When you complain about your life, your job, your situation, make sure you do it in front of a mirror because the only person you have to blame is yourself.
You are responsible for your life. You can make any change you want to make. You are in control of your own actions. And this single thing, this act of voting, was in your control and you chose not to do it. That is your own fault. So when you complain, make sure you take a breath to own up to your actions.
And for all the people who voted for Trump. Fuck your narrow-mindedness. Fuck your lack of empathy for others. Fuck your dated “conservative” ways.
There is a rift in our country. Some distinguish it by age. The “older” generation sides with Trump. I don’t believe that. While a “majority” of his supporters may be older what I really think is that we have so many people who are brainwashed by a set of values that, while they are meant to teach love and acceptance, have fostered hate and exclusion.
Gays are bad. Anyone not white is less than. Anyone not Christian is evil. The man has to be in charge because woman are only meant to be mothers.
That is not how society works anymore. That is not the world we live in. I don’t care when you were born. I don’t care how you were raised. There is your perspective of reality, and then there is the actual reality of the world around you.
Sexual orientation has nothing to do with morality. Faith has no sway over how I contribute to society. And if you’re going to make a distinction between the Westborough Baptist Church and the KKK then you sure as hell can make a distinction between terrorists and Muslims because it’s the same fucking thing. You can’t make exceptions for one group and not for others. That’s bullshit.
You can’t say it’s wrong for gays to marry because the Bible said so. You know what else the Bible says?
A woman can’t go to chuch after child birth,
especially if it is a girl child
because how dare she have a girl and not a boy.
You want to say the Bible is law and everyone has to follow it, then make fucking sure you’re following it, too.
I’m sick of people having double standards. I’m sick of my society being sick.
I’m sick of being quiet and
hoping that people will stand up and say this is wrong.
I am in control of my own actions. I am in control of my life. I am in control of making the change I want to see. So here I am. Standing up, speaking up, and calling people out.
This is the slap in the face of reality.
Fuck you to anyone who didn’t vote.
Fuck you to anyone who supported Trump.
To the people who are angry with me, I hope you take a good look at yourself, at your state, at your country. I hope you think long and hard about the situation we’re in, and where we are headed.
I’m going to fight it.
I’m going to keep trying to make a change because I remember being a kid and thinking how lucky I was to live in such an awesome and respected country. I remember the American Dream. I remember being proud to be an American.
I’m still one of those people at the sports bar who stands up and puts my hand over my heart when the national anthem is sung before a game. I still care about my country even though it’s doing its best to kill itself.
I’m not going to let you
destroy it further.
I’m going to fight your apathy,
and if I have to make you angry to do it,
to provoke you into action, then I will.
Be angry at me. Be angry at the country. Be angry at yourself. Be angry. Feel something with such intensity that your body can’t stay still. Feel to the point that you have to take action.
Look around you.
Notice what’s broken.
See why it’s broken.
Do something to fix it.
Be the change you want to see. Be angry that things aren’t right, and then do something about it.
That’s my call to action. Change your life. Make ripples. Rock the boat. Capsize it if you have to. Just fucking CARE about something enough to follow through.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but if this is the first time you are voting — ever — you ARE part of the problem. Refusing to get involved is how we got where we are. If everyone actually were part of the process, it might actually WORK.
I recognize that I am part of the problem. I take ownership for and admit to my shortcomings. I’m trying to be better. Voting was one step towards better. One step more than some.
I am a Christian, and I do believe in and live according to the bible, and I can certainly assure you that Donald Trump has not yet (my home state hasn’t had its primary yet) received my vote, nor will he ever receive it. I’m fifty-four years old, and I have been voting since I was old enough to vote, not because it’s my right to vote, but because it’s my privilege and my duty, as a citizen of this country. Even when I do not like any of the candidates who are running for office, I still vote, and I do not sacrifice my values when I vote. During the last presidential election, I did not like either Obama nor Romney, so I wrote in the name of another candidate, who was not on the voting roster.
Yes, I’ve heard some say that when I do this, I am throwing my vote away. However, I refuse to vote someone into office who will make our country worse off than it already is. Therefore, once again this year, should the two candidates running for office be Trump or Clinton, I will again, write the name of another candidate in, because in order for me to rest peacefully, I must vote according to my conscience.
Also, in response to your comments about Christians, the fact is that we are not all hateful, nor are we hate-filled. Although I disagree with some of what you have written, you might be surprised to discover that there is also much that I did agree with. I, too, am shocked and dismayed that this country that I so dearly love, would even consider putting a hate-filled, self-righteous and prideful man like Donald Trump into office. I am also, equally shocked that so many seem so eager to place a woman like Hillary Clinton, who has shown herself to be a liar again and again, into office. And as for Bernie Sanders, he is not as honest and open as you may think, either, and the one thing that is certainly known about him is that he is a socialist. I wrote a post about the candidates last month, that you might be interested in:
https://burningfireshutinmybones.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/whom-will-you-choose-to-be-your-king/
The thing that we must remember, whether we agree or disagree with one another, is that we are not one another’s enemy. As I read your post, the one thing that stood out to me, is that you LOVE our country, and that you want what is best for it, just as I do. And though I don’t agree with all that you have stated, I can agree that we both want what is best for this country, and we both agree that neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump would be good for our country. God bless you, and I am so glad that you have chosen this time, which is a very crucial time in our history, to take a stand and vote for what you believe is best for America.
Blessings,
Cheryl
Cheryl,
Thank you so much for your response to my post. Truly, your words helped me to feel heard and understood. As I am currently on my phone and it more often than not misspells my writing, I am going to keep this initial reply brief. I wanted you to know that I appreciate the time you took to write to me and that I heard your words.
I will reply with another message as soon as I am at my computer. Again, thank you so much for sharing your perspective.
Jen
Great call to action!
Thank you so much. Hopefully it causes a few ripples of change. : )