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Mar. 23rd, 2008 05:50 pmSo I am looking at current political discourse, for the horse race come November, and noticing that the narratives seem quite familiar even if many of the actors are different. It feels so... high school. Let me show you how I see it:
First narrative constant: the media treats the GOP frontrunner with respect, as he is Wise and a Noble Person who is so Personable and Manly. "He's great, we'd love to have a beer with him. Let's gloss over his policy, because nobdoy cares about it except to know that It's Gr-r-r-reat! Let's do the same for some of his more questionable supporters."
Second narrative constant: the media treats the Democrats who might be nominee as Vain, Shallow, Inexperienced and Mean-spirited as much as possible. "Well, she's got such wrinkles. Ugh. Did you see her dress? and the way she cackles? She is So Not Popular. Can we, like, get rid of her now? God, I hope we don't have to cover her policy ideas, they're like so nerdy!"
"Oh, his pastor has said nasty things about America. He should apologize for his pastor and disavow him completely or else we'll say he agrees with the guy all the time. Oh, and if he burns him in effigy maybe we'll consider that enough. Otherwise we'll call him a Jew-hater. The only people we hate more than Jew-haters are all those damn Jews mucking up the political process. Let's not pay attention to his policy, nobody wants to know about it."
Never mind that the GOP candidate has shown that he will embrace America-haters, people who say America should do something because God tells them so or else the country deserves to get hit by intense weather or terrorists or a seven-year-old soup-wielding maniac who made a mess of 23rd and Broadway. Yes, this is happening right now. No, I don't like it.
Note the utter lack of desire to cover policy differences. At the current time, there are apparently a notable number of people who would vote for Barack Obama who would rather vote for John McCain than Hillary Clinton. That cannot possibly be based on policy, because Barack Obama would be the first person to tell his supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton over John McCain based on policy. It's based on personality, and it's so damn Beverly Hills 90210 High School!
I never did get a copy of the High School Rules when I was in high school, which was somewhat less than conducive to my general social life or any sort of an intimate social life. I wasn't one of the popular kids and I had a certain degree of difficulty understanding the sheer meanness of soul several of my classmates exhibited. One thing I did understand, though, was that there could be good solid friendships based on good solid understanding, and then there were people who looked up to others for fairly superficial reasons that had to do with perceived popularity. I never did figure out how to make myself popular and still don't have a good handle on it; but there were a number of people who would like, respect or dislike me based on a solid understanding of who I was - or who would be willing to re-evaluate if they got new information.
They were, not to put too fine a point on it, adult about it. They let the facts color their perceptions more than the other way around.
I am currently blessed to have opportunities to spend time with people who are adult about it as a rule. I appreciate this more than I can easily say. I have in my travels found lots of grown-ups - and children - who are adult about it. I've found a minority of people who let their perceptions color the facts more than the reverse and I worry about them. Some have legitimate reasons for this, such as direct and forceful trauma, and I respect that greatly - I give them a pass while hoping they will heal in time. Some others, well, it's all Pique to me. They frustrate me.
I want to vote for (or against) the President of the United States this November. I am so damn sick of voting for Junior Class President every four years. Will somebody please stick a fork in the ass of most of the media? They are so (over)done!
First narrative constant: the media treats the GOP frontrunner with respect, as he is Wise and a Noble Person who is so Personable and Manly. "He's great, we'd love to have a beer with him. Let's gloss over his policy, because nobdoy cares about it except to know that It's Gr-r-r-reat! Let's do the same for some of his more questionable supporters."
Second narrative constant: the media treats the Democrats who might be nominee as Vain, Shallow, Inexperienced and Mean-spirited as much as possible. "Well, she's got such wrinkles. Ugh. Did you see her dress? and the way she cackles? She is So Not Popular. Can we, like, get rid of her now? God, I hope we don't have to cover her policy ideas, they're like so nerdy!"
"Oh, his pastor has said nasty things about America. He should apologize for his pastor and disavow him completely or else we'll say he agrees with the guy all the time. Oh, and if he burns him in effigy maybe we'll consider that enough. Otherwise we'll call him a Jew-hater. The only people we hate more than Jew-haters are all those damn Jews mucking up the political process. Let's not pay attention to his policy, nobody wants to know about it."
Never mind that the GOP candidate has shown that he will embrace America-haters, people who say America should do something because God tells them so or else the country deserves to get hit by intense weather or terrorists or a seven-year-old soup-wielding maniac who made a mess of 23rd and Broadway. Yes, this is happening right now. No, I don't like it.
Note the utter lack of desire to cover policy differences. At the current time, there are apparently a notable number of people who would vote for Barack Obama who would rather vote for John McCain than Hillary Clinton. That cannot possibly be based on policy, because Barack Obama would be the first person to tell his supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton over John McCain based on policy. It's based on personality, and it's so damn Beverly Hills 90210 High School!
I never did get a copy of the High School Rules when I was in high school, which was somewhat less than conducive to my general social life or any sort of an intimate social life. I wasn't one of the popular kids and I had a certain degree of difficulty understanding the sheer meanness of soul several of my classmates exhibited. One thing I did understand, though, was that there could be good solid friendships based on good solid understanding, and then there were people who looked up to others for fairly superficial reasons that had to do with perceived popularity. I never did figure out how to make myself popular and still don't have a good handle on it; but there were a number of people who would like, respect or dislike me based on a solid understanding of who I was - or who would be willing to re-evaluate if they got new information.
They were, not to put too fine a point on it, adult about it. They let the facts color their perceptions more than the other way around.
I am currently blessed to have opportunities to spend time with people who are adult about it as a rule. I appreciate this more than I can easily say. I have in my travels found lots of grown-ups - and children - who are adult about it. I've found a minority of people who let their perceptions color the facts more than the reverse and I worry about them. Some have legitimate reasons for this, such as direct and forceful trauma, and I respect that greatly - I give them a pass while hoping they will heal in time. Some others, well, it's all Pique to me. They frustrate me.
I want to vote for (or against) the President of the United States this November. I am so damn sick of voting for Junior Class President every four years. Will somebody please stick a fork in the ass of most of the media? They are so (over)done!
