Why I hate talking politics.

Republican.

(For you international readers, you can probably skip this topic.) It's an election year and that means the dicks are in full swing. You won't be able to watch more than five minutes of a show on TV or read a page or two of internet conversations without someone barking off about the election, or how Obama is a horrible president, or how Romney would be a horrible president, or how Hollywood caters to the left, or how Fox News is a Republican soapbox, or... Just whatever. Personally, I try to stay the hell out of politics. I mean, I'm a guy who draws cheesecake, reads the Smurf comics and thinks Battleship was an awesome movie. Do you really want MY opinion on politics? I got 'em, but honestly I try to keep them to myself and a circle of close friends. I've mentioned before, I'm somewhat of a novice historian. And when I say historian, I don't mean I got an A+ in U.S. History class (I did), but that I research and look up historical events from all over the world, and not just the United States, and I do this for fun. People like to think we're 'the most politically divided our nation has ever been'. Well, if you've paid attention at all for the last several decades, this nonsense has been going on since the Civil War Reconstruction, and it's not even the worst it's been. (The events leading up to World War I was pretty polarizing. But as that was generally a time period without television or motion pictures, we usually tend to overlook that.)

Democrat.

Sadly enough, as the internet is populated by mostly people who feel the desire to speak truth to power, without ever really realizing what the hell that phrase even means. They don't even know the truth, much less which power to even speak to. They feel the need to 'educate everyone' like they're bringing fire down from Olympus, without realizing that most people have already heard this stuff and have already formed their own opinion. We have this notion that if someone isn't thinking the same way as we do, then they must be converted or become the enemy... Regardless of how minor the differences may be. And what's really sad... Is that a vast majority of us are really guilty of this, even if we don't believe we are. I know I am, and I feel bad about it from time to time. (It's something I'm trying to work on.)

I'm what you would call 'socially liberal, fiscally conservative'. (Or a Truman Democrat. I would actually call myself a Libertarian, if people like Glenn Beck and Bill Maher hadn't spoiled the term for the rest us.) I'm essentially a moderate, very middle of the road on just about everything. I believe that both parties have some very valid points, that often get ignored due to invincible ignorance fallacy. “It came from the other side, so it must be wrong!” That kind of thinking seems to permeate our political discussions far too often, to the point that the metaphor of arguing to a brick wall pops up. I have friends who are Republican and friends who are Democrats. I have friends who are devout Christians, and friends who are hardcore atheists. I have friends from all over the political compass, I love them all, and not a single one shares my exact beliefs... And I thank God for that. How boring of a world would this be if we all thought the same way?

Moderate.

Johnny Carson once said in regards why he avoids political commentary: Why would you want to alienate half your audience? Especially since it's not like people who think differently than you are the enemy. Really, the difference between your average every day run-of-the-mill conservative and the average every day run-of-the-mill liberal is mere degrees on the political compass. Hey, Conservatives? You know those lunatic lefties, that sit around Berkley, talkin' about legalizing drugs, ending the fed, and that we all should be more like Europe? They annoy the hell out of your average liberal as much as they annoy the hell out of you. Yo, Liberals? You know those gun-toting, bible thumping right-wingers, who's ascared of gay marriage, Muslim mosques, and that we need to get back to how things were during the Eisenhower Administration? They irritate the hell out of your average conservative, just like they do to you too. None of us are really that different. And all too often, we've let our opinions of the 'other side' be painted by old exaggerated extremist stereotypes, that we often defend vehemently, without even thinking that the 'other side' are actual people too, who are not represented by these assholes as a whole...

...Unless you're that much of an elitist prick that you enjoy bad stereotyping of whole groups of people. Then that being the case, I probably lost you somewhere about when I was talking about truths and power. Yeah, like I said... I'm a guy who draws boobs and butts. I'm not the one somebody needs to listen to when it comes to politics, but regardless... It does wear on you after a while, hearing the petty snide remarks from both sides of the aisle, without realizing the people that they're mocking are also probably decent people too. Perhaps I'm sensitive and not thick-skinned enough...

...Or I'm just tired, like the rest of us.

I think that'll be it for the serious politics talk for a long while. Next time, I'll get back to shitty movies and comic talk.

Whig.