file photoI’m so glad the election finally is over.
No more political advertisements, no more John Kerry says this or George W. Bush claims that, no more mud slinging – nothing. I finally can enjoy watching a Taco Bell commercial in the middle of the night instead of a commercial showing how Bush misled the nation or how Kerry flip-flops on issues.
And now that we have Bush as our president for another four years, I don’t have to worry about these events until at least 2007.
| The strongest statement you could have made this past election was not the marks you made chalking up the sidewalk, but the ones you made on the ballot. |
With most of the dust settled, maybe the nation can unite once again after all the negative accounts we’ve noticed in the past year. This division wasn’t because of raising gas prices or even tuition hikes. It all came down to politics.
It seems that no matter who it is, whether it is college students, parents, administrators or even prestigious officials, politics find a way to do one thing to each of them – turn them into stubborn children.
Amazing, isn’t it, that grown men and women’s values do a complete 180 the second an election year arrives? Even the nicest people I know become so – how can I put it nicely? – sinister when it comes to politics.
I’ll give you a few examples to highlight just how foolish politics make people.
Graffiti galore
I remember taking a drive down Water Street late at night when I came to the second block and noticed a “Bush-Cheney Country” sign clearly painted on a fence. Over the white text of their names, however, was the word “Kerry.”
Personally, I don’t care what the painted sign said, but when I saw the graffiti damage, I was a bit upset … not surprised, though.
Again, as I strolled through the Campus Mall Monday, I noticed plenty of chalked slogans scattered across the sidewalk. Now, I don’t mind any person or group expressing views, but when I see Web sites such as www.ronkindwontdebate.com or www.whatmakesbushtick.com scratched over former pro-Democrat or pro-Republican slogans, then I have a problem.
Of course, is this really a big deal? Does it matter if we see a Bush-Cheney ’04 slogan later transformed into a Bush-Cheney No More slogan? Maybe not to many of you, but look at the message these people are leaving. They are trying to prevent another person or group from exercising their First Amendment rights, replacing their message with one of their own.
Granted, this is not a crime, but it is distasteful. If you are a democrat, republican, independent, socialist, whatever, you’d be better off expressing your own view and allowing others to express theirs.
These minor acts of vandalism aren’t a good way to get your message across – they merely send mixed messages, ranging from insecurity and desperation to overconfidence and rudeness.
Cruel acts
Here is a simple equation to take into consideration – one political view plus another completely different one usually equals disaster. I’ve seen this predicament for years, yet no one seems to get the big picture.
I read in a recent Associated Press article about an 18-year old Florida resident and Bush supporter who attempted to kill his girlfriend because she was voting for Kerry. He threatened her with a screwdriver, saying, “Do you want to live to see the election?”
And, again, what is all this over? Politics.
I’ve heard of some insane things, but this draws a line. Has society become so ridiculous that we’re willing to threaten the ones we love just because they share a different view?
In Vero Beach, a man drove up to anti-Kerry protesters on a street corner, began arguing with them and knocked a sign out of one of their hands. The protester then grabbed a gun and aimed it at the man’s head.
Another act I heard about came from my hometown of Milwaukee. A child was walking down a street wearing a Bush-Cheney sticker when two Kerry supporters approached him and spit at him.
Again, when you ask yourself what spurred all these cruel acts, the same conclusion can be drawn – politics.
Had this child been walking down the street without the sticker, would these Kerry supporters have gone out of their way to harass him? Would two different men threaten another person had they displayed their opinion on another issue besides politics? The answer is debatable, but it’s apparent politics were the driving force behind these acts.
Any resolve?
Then, of course, you have your political mudslinging from each candidate on a regular basis, as well as numerous family gatherings ruined because one half of the family supports Kerry and the other side supports Bush. The only question I ask is, why? Why do we as people lower our values just because someone has a different belief? It’s just as crazy as arguing over another person’s religion.
The point is everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and because we are in the United States, we have the right to express those beliefs. We should not pass judgments on others just because they don’t share our views.
The next time politics play a part in your life, have fun with it. Have a healthy argument or two, protest when something happens you don’t agree with, exercise every right you can, but please remember that at the end of the day, it’s just politics.
And remember, too, that the strongest statement you could have made this past election was not the marks you made chalking up the sidewalk, but the ones you made on the ballot.
