This is a quick rant, until I start to type and then it is a times a never ending stream. But another reason I hate politics today is the instant world that we live in. Someone makes a remark and fourteen talking heads are online and on the air telling us what the person really thought or what we should think. Nothing has any real analysis to it and then we move on to the next thing so fast, that the issue just lays on the side of the road going nowhere. The insatiable appetite for news and events has the "news" outlets creating news. Then every frigging outlet seems to have a slant to it. Reporting has become a game where you spin things in the direction that you want. It has gotten to the point that I immediately filter everything I hear and decided on my own whether to believe it or not. Maybe this is better then watching the evening news and believing it when I was growing up, but I'm not sure if it is.
On the plus side thanks to Airelle I now will be reading up on Grover Cleveland, and based on my early review of his life he looks like a President that I could really have gotten behind and supported.
Also my sister Joan is running for election in her District, which is overwhelmingly one party and is running on a shoestring budget just to at least offer a choice for people. It is something way out of her comfort zone, but she is doing it for all the right reasons and she deserves a lot of credit for putting herself on the firing line.
I know everything in the distant past wasn't rosy and great, but I believe that we used to have more leaders who were interested in serving society. I also believe that we had people in the media who felt an obligation to report what was happening and wait until all the facts are in to draw conclusions. The "me first" culture that we have created makes everyone more interested in themselves, more then society as a whole.
I have slowly given up some of my more materialistic ways as I have gotten older and hopefully getting past the me first focus. I have also learned that when I do something for somebody I do it because I want to do it for them, not expecting or needing anything in return. I also don't do it thinking I'm building up good karma or a later reward, I do it because I want to do it. I believe that we can make the world a better place, but we have to change what we can change and lead by example. It just seems that as a whole we are doing the wrong things and I don't understand why we continue to watch our country go down a path that seems to be fiscally and morally destructive. Everything is faster paced and we are moving to an information society, the switch from agrarian to an industrial society was not smooth, I don't think this switch will be either.
wow, go Aunt Joan :)
ReplyDeleteI've just noticed that people are so much more less patient and so absorbed with their own lives and petty problems that they just don't have the time for others. They walk around with cell phone to ear ignoring everyone around them. No more small talk or chit chat. And they can't be bothered with learning about issues or the platforms of particular politicians. They vote the party line and that's only if they have the patience to wait in line at the voting booths. Just look at the job approval polls for Congress. They're even lower than Bush's. Neither party deserves to get back in power. All they do is vote themselves pay raises and punt on the important work that they're supposed to be addressing like immigration and social security reform. And they're taking longer vacations with fewer days in session. We commoners are too tied up with the drama of our own lives and the 6 day work weeks and driving the kids to all their appointments, sporting events, lessons and play dates to look up and take notice of what the politicians are doing. When are we gonna get pissed and force serious change in Washington?? Have we all just given up, thrown up our arms and said, "Oh well. Can't fight the gubment"?
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