Divisionally Political

So, Election Day came and went. Basically everyone knows what the results are, and personally it's served as yet another reminder that I just don't view our political system like everyone else. Political discourse is where I mask the heaviest, and part of that is genuinely wanting to understand different viewpoints, but that also comes with the knowledge that I won't necessarily be afforded the same. The people I know that hold conservative values seem to think I'm either a part of that grouping or need to be welcomed in, and it's the same for those that hold liberal values, because truthfully I don't like either party.

My core belief when it comes to politics is that very real, impactful issues affecting very real Americans shouldn't be used in a massive team game. One half of the populace shouldn't have their voice disregarded at any level because of party affiliation. My upbringing involved watching not just bipartisanship disappear, but political affiliation becoming the core to so many peoples identities. Meanwhile, our elected officials routinely fail to deliver on promises made to secure your vote, instead of finding meaningful solutions that work for everybody and therefore require compromise they'd rather fearmonger and tell you that your fellow Americans want to do you harm in one way or another if they don't share whatever views.

Both parties are two sides of the same coin that's going right into the pockets of the wealthy and elite classes. Neither party has done anything in decades to bring about substantial, positive, long-term growth, because the goal has been to siphon the value from the middle and lower classes until you wind up exactly where we are today. Chances of me being able to afford a home, new vehicle, oversea vacations, anything significant financially are basically nonexistent. I mean, yeah, I could go play the lotto and maybe win, but outside of that, with the current trajectory of our economy, there's a snowballs chance in hell. That falls on our political system as a whole becoming a tool utilized by the wealthy elite, they do not represent their constituents and back in the day they had a massive tea party about taxation without representation. That is the path I see this country on right now, because of this, to be blunt, stupid ass game.

If you believe Trump is going to change that, that's great for you. I don't share that view. Harris would've continued the stat-quo, Trump is out for his own agenda, so while he may clear house and make it seem like he's "purging the swamp," in actuality he's just going to be changing who gets the results of the siphoning. Because to the powers that be, the American populace is far too dependent, or distracted with smartphones and 24/7 news coverage geared towards enraging you, to do anything about it, and honestly I don't think they're going to stop being right about us until it's too late.

Especially as a father, knowing full well that while we have it rough now his generation is looking at a completely different mess, it breaks my heart. I remember coming home from school early on 9/11, and watching the news coverage and feeling that pain, that fear, and that anger at the massive loss we just suffered. I wasn't focused on how many white people died, or if any were gay or trans or any of this other shit, because it didn't matter, they were American regardless. And I keep thinking back to that, because it is so difficult to accept that unless there is some massive, horrific tragedy like a shooting or a hurricane, that we just generally do not give a damn about one another. There is a massive amount of genuine compassion that is missing from this country, and that is something that our political system clearly loves to take advantage of but does nothing about.

So basically, when it comes to politics, unless you want to hear about my ideas regarding how to rebuild better, I'm really not interested. I'm not playing a team game while people are actively dying as a result of it, hopefully my perspective leads you to question your participation as well.

Until next time.