Election Season: I Didn't Come Here to Argue

Election season is almost over. If you know me, you know I’m a bit of a current events junkie, and seeing as though my hours at work have dwindled down to three a week, I have a lot of time on my hands to read. And I do. At great length. Now, I’ve heard some complaints from friends and loved ones that I would like to address. Mind you, none of these complaints have been directed at me, personally, but I’d like to take a moment to say a few things anyway. I like to share the information I come across. I love blogs and opinion pieces, even ones I don’t necessarily agree with. Listening to other people gives me an opportunity to think, not only about other people’s opinions and why they hold them but about my own, and why I hold them. It’s food for thought, if nothing else. I think it’s good to be culturally aware.

But: here comes the big “but,” I know that sometimes I offend people, or people disagree with me. If I’ve offended you then I’m all on board with having a polite conversation between two grown individuals. I’ve even been known to apologize for hurting people’s feelings. And if you disagree with me, that’s fine. I’d rather talk about that, too, if you want. I’m not going to start saying mean things to you, or insulting your intelligence, even if sometimes I may want to. I did not come here to start an argument, but a discussion would be great.

There is a guy who I am no longer friends with because the politicking got to be too much. We vehemently disagreed with each other, and eventually I got tired of him telling me how stupid and uninformed I am (for not watching enough Fox News or reading the GOP website). I just got tired of the insults and decided I don’t want to be friends with someone who behaves like that over disagreeing about something. I think it’s incredibly petty, and I don’t need friends who call me stupid. Call me out on my bullshit, sure. I can hang with that. But if you really think I’m stupid, why are you friends with me?? And why the fuck am I friends with you?? If you call me stupid on my Facebook now, I have a lot of great friends who will gladly come to my defense. But my policy is not to engage in a flame war because it so often accomplishes nothing, and I have other shit to do. I’m not going to try to change someone’s mind. I’m busy.

I do try to kind of get into people’s heads sometimes. I don’t know if you knew this about me, but I’m not a Romney person. I’m not even a little bit conservative. There are too many reasons why not, and the Obama administration has done a great deal to help people like me. I appreciate that, whether the Romney camp thinks I’m a moocher, or a slut, or an idiot, or whatever. There are some Romney supporters, though; I just can’t get there. Why would a teacher, a single parent, or someone who is sick and on government funded medical assistance in order to stay alive vote for Romney?? These are all people I know, and I don’t get it. Because he’s anti-choice?? Because he’s white?? Because he’s a businessman?? What is it?? I cannot figure it out no matter how hard I try. But I’m also not going to pick a fight with a friend over it, either, or tell them they’re stupid or uninformed. I think that’s mean, and I’m not out to low-blow my friends. Like I said, I’ve had that done to me and I try to have a little more integrity than to act like I get to shit-talk people and expect to be treated with respect.

Anyway, I know people are exhausted by this election and ready for it to be over. I’m kind of excited to see how the whole thing plays out. There are bound to be some great jokes and, hopefully, some inspired activism on the horizon.

In any case, go out and vote – or stay in and vote. Help someone else vote, if you can. I promise I won’t call you an idiot in front of all your friends if I disagree with you.

The end.

Night Time is the Right Time to Talk About the VP Debate

Election season is taxing on anyone who’s paying attention to it. If you’re reading, watching, tweeting it, you’re probably exhausted. Nevermind that having a day-to-day life that doesn’t include an IV drip of current events, partisan and otherwise, it’s easy to feel uninformed.

I didn’t watch the VP debates earlier tonight. I’m coming out of a cold medication fog and my daughter is entering one, so I spent the evening relaxing, making her some fall-time, Chinese-themed comfort food: egg drop soup and mango fried rice. And I feel uninformed. I also feel very comfortable in that. At least for the moment.

I would like to address one thing, though. From an outsider’s perspective, as someone who read the tweets, a browsed a few articles, laughed at a few graphics, and saw some varying Facebook status updates, my observations are purely anecdotal, but I’m going to put it out there anyway. My friends on the right thought Joe Biden was rude and smug. I can’t speak to that because I didn’t watch this evening, but I will say this:

Who cares?? When politicians on the right do it, the left gets all up in arms: when politicians on the left do it, the right gets all butt-hurt. It doesn’t make it right or wrong. It’s just kind of what it is, as they say. You don’t get to the top of the political ladder by not being a grand-standing yutz on at least some level, and sometimes that includes being snide and condescending and smarmy and pissy and rude. But when it’s your party it pisses me off and when it’s my party it pisses you off. I lean to the left, so of course I think it’s funny when a left-leaning politician schools a conservo, and I say “psh, whatever, what do you know,” so forth and so on when I feel like the mud is coming from stage right. I think at this saturation point, in the age of newer and newer new media, there’s a time to be outraged, or even just annoyed, and a time to say fuck it: whatever, dude. What the hell do you know, anyway, whoever-you-are??

And with that I bid you good night. NyQuil wishes and TheraFlu dreams, y’all.

Math Illiterate

I’m just going to put this out there because I’m tired as hell of hearing it. Hopefully I can rally and not have to take another math class as long as I live, hence not have to hear from other people about it.

Yeah, I share on Facebook and Twitter how nervous math makes me. I share how I hate it, it’s boring, I don’t understand it, and it sucks. I don’t like it. I don’t get it. And in reply I get a bunch of responses about how good other people are at math. It’s easy. Seriously. Just do this, this this, this, and this other thing. Have you heard of this?? Did you try this?? Maybe if you this?? I’m really good. Maybe I can help you.

No, I’ve never done or heard of any of that. Obviously I suck at math because I just crawled out from under a fucking rock yesterday. I have textbooks and resources. I have amazing people who have tried in earnest to help me. What I do not possess are the skills to cram an entire textbook, of which I have the loosest grasp on the one before it, in five weeks.

If that makes me a fucking moron, than I suppose I am a fucking moron. But the next time you decide that the correct reply to someone telling you that they’re struggling is to tell them how great you are at what they are struggling with, take a look at your face in the mirror and then punch yourself. If I went around telling everyone I know who struggles with writing how great I am, that would make me an insensitive asshole.

Think about that for a minute.