Intelligent Political Discourse--I Never Knew Ye

I've stopped looking at Facebook recently, and I hardly ever watch YouTube videos anymore. The reason? I can't stand to watch the total disintegration of American political discourse. On Facebook, friends of all political stripes post snarky status messages taking potshots at one side or the other. They also post propaganda-style YouTube videos and fear-mongering articles, which cite few checkable sources.

I can't take it any longer. I can't stand to watch the most outrageous propaganda masquerading as serious political comment. I can't stand to watch the artificial division of the country into 'us' and 'them'. I can't stand to watch as people I love, throughout the political spectrum, are painted as ill-intentioned, hateful people.

Politics is not a parody of fundamentalist religion, in which we must choose between good and evil or face an eternity of Bill O'Reilly and Michael Moore wet t-shirt contests. Politics are contingent, ambiguous and messy. I long for serious, reasoned debate about important issues.

Well, a girl can dream, can't she?

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