It's hard not to look at the remnants of Kerry 2004 stickers that litter Los Angeles, and not have my heart pinch a little, my face fall a bit. I thought vehement Bush supporters made me cringe before election day, but now all voting paraphenelia for any candidate gets me into a tizzy.
There are stories like this and this that scare the bejesus out of me.
My parents voted for Bush along with 59 million other people. And I -- along with a great deal many others -- can't seem to understand how people can get behind him and still feel good about themselves. My only intellectual recourse is that they must not be aware of how his stances affect women's rights, or civil liberties, or international relations, or the environment, or.. on and on.
Growing up, I thought politics was a lofty, intangible thing reserved for hardcore academics-- certainly, my family or schooling afforded me no palpable grasp on the issues or what they meant.
As I get older, I'm beginning to realize that politics is determined more by faith and by fear than I ever though possible. And that's a pretty scary concept to me. That we live in a world not where those of high-mind and adequate grasp are making decisions for the best of our country and sense of humanity-- but in a world where we roll around in legal measures against what makes us feel "icky."
Posted by Olga at November 7, 2004 10:50 PMYeah, it's funny, how we go through school, and learn that academice and studied people do something lofty and are looking out for us.
The more I grow up, the more the view on politics changes that it mostly revolves around two parties having rather selfish interests (companies for money, religious/conservatives pushing their values on the everyone else).
Maybe, it's because I'm an idealist or raised in Europe. I always thought, that at least some politicians should put the principle of being just or in the benefit of all above pleasing a particular section of their electorate.
Posted by: Cowboy at December 7, 2004 08:53 PM