I didn't watch the debate last night. Instead I recorded it to watch later and spent the night playing video games (APB Reloaded specifically. Complete time suckage but strangely addictive...but we'll leave that topic for another day).
So I got up this morning and rather than watch the debate, I read all the tweets from last night as my twitter buds shared their debate watching experience. As a seriously dedicated independent voter, I got tweets from both sides of the aisle, and having not actually seen what they were tweeting about made for a unique experience.
THEN I watched the debate...for the second time, after seeing it first through the eyes of Twitter...I watched it on the DVR...well OK, not quite all of it but most. More than enough.
Yes I will probably watch the rest. But for now, let me tell you what I learned. VP Biden and Rep. Ryan not withstanding, the most striking thing I found out is that almost none of the folks I THOUGHT were objective actually are...at least not anymore. You guys may not see it (or hopefully you do), but you're all clearly on one side of the fence or the other.
And there's nothing wrong with that...so don't panic...I'm not going to name any names or anything. In fact..at this point most of us have already made up our minds...right? I mean, the election's only a couple weeks away. By now we SHOULD know who we plan to vote for. I know I do. I truly doubt that anything will change my mind at this point. But it made me ask myself...am I still being objective? Do my tweets belie my supposed independent status, or merely reflect the fact that I have already made my choice? Or do they make it seem as if I'm just another sheeple tweeting up what the status quo is saying?
I guess what I am getting at is that no matter how hard we try to stay objective and remain outside the fray, sooner or later, once we have formed an opinion, our comments and tweets become less than objective. Seriously one sided in some cases...ahem.
We may even begin to ridicule the other side in our heads for their stupidity. Well...what we now see as their stupidity because our perspective is now better than theirs somehow. And despite our best efforts...bingo. We are about as objective as evangelical preacher. Well...at least we moved strongly in that direction. Its human nature. That's how we operate.
So what I was I impressed by? In watching these two fierce competitors (aka "friends") wrangle for glimmers of truth and inspiration...while most of all trying hard not to say anything that might piss anyone off...anyone who matters anyway...what was it?
Well what I took away from it was a deep feeling of Respect.
Not so much for the candidates themselves...truthfully I have very little for most politicians...but for a special few. That unique minority group of people who are able to somehow, through all the blitz of persuasions both liminal and subliminal, maintain true objectivity.
I'd like to count myself among you but compared with you I am surely no equal. I mean...you can only take so much stupidity before you just want to smack yourself as a reality check, you know? And when I see it...I say something. That's just me.
To paraphrase loosely on the theme of Edmund Burke: "All that is necessary for stupidity to prevail is for the intelligent among us to see it and do nothing."
So to those who are able to identify and point out stupidity wherever they see it, regardless of political party lines and lies: I salute you. To the comedians, reporters, bloggers, tweeters, and musicians who poke at both sides of the aisle with equal fervor; to all of you who can truly listen to both sides with an open mind...no matter how much utter ridiculousness is spewing from their festering gobs...and comment on it with complete and transparent objectivity: I offer you my deepest respect. I could name names but I don't think I need to...you know who you are.
As for me, my mind is made up. I can only take so much. When one side is just in so deep...so deep that there is no way to believe a single thing they say, be it in their attacks or their promises. I'm done. Not even gonna try and keep objectivity. Wouldn't be prudent.
I have a duty as a citizen in the human race. If I see something that makes no sense I gotta speak up. If nothing you say makes sense, it's simply impossible for me to even seem objective to myself.
That doesn't mean I'll stop listening to both sides. It just means I'll be assuming what's coming out of your mouth is just more of the same old thing...at least until I hear differently. Yup I'm still listening...I just don't care as much about what you say. Oops...I guess I'm now part of the 47%? Or the 99%? Or 47% of 99%?
I wonder what percent are just plain too fed up to even listen any more. Once that becomes 51%, I bet we got a whole new ballgame.
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