Politics suck. I hate the whole system. Yet, lately, they've been taking up the majority of my free time-- Just discussing or "debating" as you could call it. The problem, I find, with debates is that they never involve much actual debate. In tournaments and such, sure, but in everyday life, a debate is more a conflict of ideas that ends up with both parties being frustrated at one another and neither side changing its views. They're pretty pointless unless people are going to open their minds.
My sister and I debated. I debate with Connor all the time. They never end well, plus, I find myself increasingly offended as I have the same discussions time and again with the same people. I find that I'M the only one opening my mind at all. I figure, hey, I'm an American. I've probably been lied to about world politics. Listen to these people from around the world, you're learn something. So I try to.
But SOME of the time, I hear anti-american propaganda with little to no factual information. People say vague things like "America is imperialist." Now, I'm not here to argue with you, but back that up! I agree, now let's talk about WHY America is imperialist, or HOW to fix it. I think it all stems from this deep rooted ACTUAL hatred or "dislike" of AMERICAN things. Canadian TV and local comedians and EVERYTHING use America and George W. Bush as the butt of their jokes. First of all, they ARE funny jokes. But secondly, they're spreading this general anti-America sentiment over everything and it should be changed. I'm not saying that they should stop giving people what they want, I'm just saying the people should want something else.
That's not what my point is, though. I'm talking about politics here and why debating it sucks. My sister, a few weeks ago, sent me an email of all of George W.'s accomplishments and whatever with respect to the economy. The blind, dumb Canadian that she thinks I am would have deleted it without reading, and replied with something like "Yeah, too bad the economy SUCKS!" I , on the other hand, replied in a very educated and very ironic tone by listing John Kerry's goals and points for our economy. I'm not a democrat. But I'll tell you this, I'm for god-damned-sure not a republican. Kerry has the best chance to beat Bush. He's is Bush's ARCH-ENEMY, so to speak. I was merely showing the OPPOSITE side of the economy-argument.
My sister sent me another email. This time preaching George W. Bush as the savior of all these people. She repeated how her friend Kris Crawford is a marine and has shot MANY people running at him with satchel bombs. Also, she said that TIME magazine posted a picture of one of the men he shot. The title "INNOCENTS MURDERED IN AFRICA" or something like that. The point is, they claimed that the people were innocent and I'm reading ONLY this news so I shouldn't vote for John Kerry, because he supports Time magazine?? I guess. It didn't make sense to me then or now. But her logic is stemming, not from her pro-American attitudes, I can understand that, but it's stemming from her anti-people_who_are_slightly_less_pro_american. That's shite. I'm sorry, Marcea, but I'm pro-WORLD. I'm pro-BIOSPHERE, buddy. We're a species as a whole and we need to start acting like it and getting over this petty shit. I can't believe I'm being criticized for that view. Are you people SO brainwashed??!?
So my sister mentions other things. She says how Kerry is only just another rich white guy and so I shouldn't vote for him. Ok... so how is George W. Bush NOT a rich, white guy? If you're arguing to me that we shouldn't vote for ANY
White-anglo-saxon-protestants, ok, but you're telling me NOT to vote for Kerry because he's something which Bush also happens to be? How in the hell does that make sense?
Lovely sissy also mentioned the fact that all college students are inherently stupid to the world and that we're just brainwashed little hooligans who do nothing but mooch of mummy and daddy back home. Hmmm.... I dunno, seems to me that I'm working my ass off as a student. Maybe Marcea would like to sit in for my chem midterm next week or something? Maybe she'd be better off sitting in on our political discussions. We're all very very intelligent people. We've all thought about politics and religion and all these MAJOR key issues in the world and we all have opinions. Just because our opinions ALL have to be that George W. Bush shouldn't be reelected, does not mean that we are not thinking for ourselves. We just ALL happen to be that smart in our own ideas to reach that same conclusion. To me: Bush hurts the environment--hurts science--hurts my future--makes other nations hate us--sends us to iraq to fight for oil and doesnt even research alternative energies with more than the profits from ANWR drilling-- etc etc..
Look, Marcea, I've THOUGHT this through. Can you imagine? A university student who can think about ideas for him or herself? What a CRAZY world! And just imagine, Connor's thought his through, and Conley, and Sean, and Justin, Alix, Elysse, Becca, Greg, Kieran, Boston, Jenn, Alison, other Alison, Alison from Brunswick, Katie, Diana, Adela, Sam-Sham, Maxim, Justin Reed.. etc. etc.
An American is NOT better than an Iraqi by default. They are both HUMANS first. They are both brothers, first.
POLITICS SUCK. They make us forget that. Religion also does that. COME ON, as if a guy my age who happens to be Muslim and one who's Christian are ANY different. Everyone should drop they're organized religions and think for themselves. Discuss what you think with others, but do it at a personal or familial level.
So anyways, I hate politics. I love to talk it out with people, but I hate "debates". I hate that my own sister called me a "disgrace to america". Just for trying to think on my own.
So, Marcea. I hate politics, not you. I love you, you're my sister, but I disagree with your political views and the way you resorted to slanderous harping to get your point across.
