When I started this blog in late 2004, I was infuriated with the party in power at the time and its presidential administration. I felt they were war-mongers who rejected truth and objective reality, as they branded anyone who questioned the party line and state-sanctioned media reports as an apostate. In 2023, I still strongly dislike war-mongers who reject truth and objective reality, and who brand anyone who questions the party line or state-sanctioned media reports as an apostate…which means I am also infuriated with the current party in power and its presidential administration. The Republican administration of my college years and mid-20's is little different from the Democrat administration of my 40's. I made this connection several years ago, but a recent Russell Brand video, which I've embedded at the bottom of this post, perfectly sums up the idea.
In the first years of this blog (2004/2005), I wrote several vitriolic political posts. I later found the naivety of these posts embarrassing, and I made them private over a decade ago (2012). Likewise, I won't be posting any vitriolic posts about my political feelings and the current presidential administration and political climate in 2023. However, I do think, since I made my feelings so widely known almost 20 years ago, that I should post this untitled, unlinked counter:
Don't follow the party line. Look analytically at everything your chosen party does and says and make up your own mind. Don't follow anything or anyone blindly. If you've believed in any political point strongly for years, then see objective evidence that refutes it, don't just keep believing in the political point because you're afraid to change your mind or look silly. Even more importantly, monitor yourself to make sure you're not backing a political point because of emotion. Maybe you're overlooking objective truth because your feelings have led you astray. I personally only believe in one thing on faith, and that's my literal religious faith. If you believe in a political point on faith, despite what you can or can't see with your own eyes, that political point is your religion.
Even more importantly, stay away from the "You are either with us or against us" mindset. George W. Bush famously said "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists," which was used to demonize anyone who simply disagreed with his administrations methods. That historical moment had so much cultural impact, George Lucas put it into the Star Wars prequels. This has flipped now: you either follow the current administration party line, or you're a "fascist." The term "fascist" has been thrown around like beads at a Mardi Gras parade the past few years, though I am quite sure most people using the term have no idea what it actually means-- it's someone who "stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition," which ironically means that if you want to call everyone who disagrees with you a fascist, you yourself are actually the fascist. Don't do that. Most of us are human, and most of us, when we're actually dealing with life and not social media or grandstanding, want the same things. Calling everyone who doesn't agree with us a "terrorist" or a "fascist" isn't helping anything, and the same goes for labeling everyone on either the left or the right "far-left" or "far-right" when the person being described falls into a group with 50% of the U.S. population. Polarization benefits a very small group of people and you're probably not in that group.
I'm not an old man, but I'm not a young one anymore, either. I'm saying these things from experience. I've voted in six presidential elections now, and I've voted Democrat twice, Republican twice, and Libertarian twice. Every political party is morally compromised. Over a longer historical period, for example, 20 years, none is better than the other. If you're wondering why I'm not liking your "look at these dumb Republicans" posts, memes, and texts, this is why.
In the first years of this blog (2004/2005), I wrote several vitriolic political posts. I later found the naivety of these posts embarrassing, and I made them private over a decade ago (2012). Likewise, I won't be posting any vitriolic posts about my political feelings and the current presidential administration and political climate in 2023. However, I do think, since I made my feelings so widely known almost 20 years ago, that I should post this untitled, unlinked counter:
Don't follow the party line. Look analytically at everything your chosen party does and says and make up your own mind. Don't follow anything or anyone blindly. If you've believed in any political point strongly for years, then see objective evidence that refutes it, don't just keep believing in the political point because you're afraid to change your mind or look silly. Even more importantly, monitor yourself to make sure you're not backing a political point because of emotion. Maybe you're overlooking objective truth because your feelings have led you astray. I personally only believe in one thing on faith, and that's my literal religious faith. If you believe in a political point on faith, despite what you can or can't see with your own eyes, that political point is your religion.
Even more importantly, stay away from the "You are either with us or against us" mindset. George W. Bush famously said "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists," which was used to demonize anyone who simply disagreed with his administrations methods. That historical moment had so much cultural impact, George Lucas put it into the Star Wars prequels. This has flipped now: you either follow the current administration party line, or you're a "fascist." The term "fascist" has been thrown around like beads at a Mardi Gras parade the past few years, though I am quite sure most people using the term have no idea what it actually means-- it's someone who "stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition," which ironically means that if you want to call everyone who disagrees with you a fascist, you yourself are actually the fascist. Don't do that. Most of us are human, and most of us, when we're actually dealing with life and not social media or grandstanding, want the same things. Calling everyone who doesn't agree with us a "terrorist" or a "fascist" isn't helping anything, and the same goes for labeling everyone on either the left or the right "far-left" or "far-right" when the person being described falls into a group with 50% of the U.S. population. Polarization benefits a very small group of people and you're probably not in that group.
I'm not an old man, but I'm not a young one anymore, either. I'm saying these things from experience. I've voted in six presidential elections now, and I've voted Democrat twice, Republican twice, and Libertarian twice. Every political party is morally compromised. Over a longer historical period, for example, 20 years, none is better than the other. If you're wondering why I'm not liking your "look at these dumb Republicans" posts, memes, and texts, this is why.
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