I said stop!
Okay fine, have it your way.
I have always been fascinated by the American political process. For years I've enjoyed debating at parties, at bars, and occasionally (against my mother's teachings) at the dinner table. I've always tried to understand both sides of an issue, reading every op-ed and political analysis I can find. I read everything from Al Jazeera to Fox News, trying to wrap my head around something as huge and multi-faceted as why people believe the things they do when presented with an election cycle. And I'm one of those strange individuals who find these sorts of activities to be highly entertaining.
There's just one problem. It's not fun anymore. I'm in an abusive relationship with politics.
Congratulations, 2016. You've killed my political hard-on.
Somewhere around "grab them in the pussy", I just started feeling vaguely nauseated by this entire election season. And I wasn't even so much sickened by the actions of the man who spoke those words (We knew what he was. Was anyone terribly surprised?) No. It was when I watched the news and women, women were defending this kind of behavior. Saying that it's somehow justified because women enjoy reading 50 Shades of Gray, or listening to raunchy lyrics in a Beyonce song. Saying that certain candidates are welcome to grab their pussy.
Now I could go on for days about the difference between sexual assault and a woman owning her own sexuality or giving consent for kinky sex. But I just don't have the energy. The fight has gone out of me. Because no one is listening.
And I could try to explain how dangerous and un-democratic it is to claim that an election is rigged before it's even over. I could attempt to draw comparisons between things that a certain candidate is saying, and the precarious edge that they are walking between being inflammatory and fanning the flames of violence. But there's no point. Because no one is listening. Their minds are made up.
People have chosen their demagogue. They've chosen their wall and their hatred. We are reaping the results of entertainment-driven media combined with the racism and misogyny that are still thriving in America. And the horrifying reality is that no matter who wins the White House three weeks from now, our country's collective spirit has been beaten to the ground.
And people you shout "Well you're just biased!". Maybe that's true. It's difficult to identify one's own bias. I'm not exactly enthused by the alternative to the aforementioned candidate. That's part of the problem. How did we get to a place where the two people running for the highest office in the nation are so uniformly despised?
But even now I can't bring myself to just burn my bridges and walk away. There's too much at stake. And I still live abroad, where I am constantly being asked to explain what the actual fuck is going on.
So tonight I'll sit down and watch the final presidential debate. With a bottl
e (read "box") of wine. Because as painful as the last few months have been, I can't stop myself from hoping that I'm wrong. That as beaten, bruised, and broken as I think a lot of people are feeling about this presidential race, we'll somehow find a way to once again find common ground. No matter how much it hurts, I'll keep coming back for more.
Anyway. That was kind of depressing. Here's a picture of a kitten in a bowtie to cheer you up.
-Ashley
I have always been fascinated by the American political process. For years I've enjoyed debating at parties, at bars, and occasionally (against my mother's teachings) at the dinner table. I've always tried to understand both sides of an issue, reading every op-ed and political analysis I can find. I read everything from Al Jazeera to Fox News, trying to wrap my head around something as huge and multi-faceted as why people believe the things they do when presented with an election cycle. And I'm one of those strange individuals who find these sorts of activities to be highly entertaining.
Fun at the circus!
Congratulations, 2016. You've killed my political hard-on.
Somewhere around "grab them in the pussy", I just started feeling vaguely nauseated by this entire election season. And I wasn't even so much sickened by the actions of the man who spoke those words (We knew what he was. Was anyone terribly surprised?) No. It was when I watched the news and women, women were defending this kind of behavior. Saying that it's somehow justified because women enjoy reading 50 Shades of Gray, or listening to raunchy lyrics in a Beyonce song. Saying that certain candidates are welcome to grab their pussy.
Now I could go on for days about the difference between sexual assault and a woman owning her own sexuality or giving consent for kinky sex. But I just don't have the energy. The fight has gone out of me. Because no one is listening.
And I could try to explain how dangerous and un-democratic it is to claim that an election is rigged before it's even over. I could attempt to draw comparisons between things that a certain candidate is saying, and the precarious edge that they are walking between being inflammatory and fanning the flames of violence. But there's no point. Because no one is listening. Their minds are made up.
People have chosen their demagogue. They've chosen their wall and their hatred. We are reaping the results of entertainment-driven media combined with the racism and misogyny that are still thriving in America. And the horrifying reality is that no matter who wins the White House three weeks from now, our country's collective spirit has been beaten to the ground.
And people you shout "Well you're just biased!". Maybe that's true. It's difficult to identify one's own bias. I'm not exactly enthused by the alternative to the aforementioned candidate. That's part of the problem. How did we get to a place where the two people running for the highest office in the nation are so uniformly despised?
But even now I can't bring myself to just burn my bridges and walk away. There's too much at stake. And I still live abroad, where I am constantly being asked to explain what the actual fuck is going on.
So tonight I'll sit down and watch the final presidential debate. With a bottl
Anyway. That was kind of depressing. Here's a picture of a kitten in a bowtie to cheer you up.
-Ashley
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