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Let’s Talk Politics, Without Being Assholes About It

November 5, 2012 By Jeff 104 Comments

I’ll be voting tomorrow, as soon as I get two or three cups of coffee down my neck.  I have a strong opinion about it, but won’t be sharing it with you guys.  No need to thank me…

I was sitting somewhere eating a bowl of potato soup yesterday (purposely vague), while everybody talked politics around me.  And I was cringing like I was entered in a cringing contest.  So much disinformation… so much propaganda being regurgitated… so little understanding about the way things really work…

I don’t pretend to be a political scientist, but come on.  Before you form your angry opinions about shit, it might be a good idea to move beyond the bulleted talking points of your favorite political party.  I just sat there, listening to all this crapola — from both ends o’ the spectrum — and continued spooning soup into my mouth, with no expression on my face.

And I thought, “Why are so many people unable to stay out of these kinds of conversations?”  Of course, years ago I would’ve inserted my little smug and sarcastic barbs, too.  I used to be one of them, but now that I actually know a few things… I have no desire to get into it; the urge has completely left me.

It’s why I discourage political talk at the Surf Report.  It makes me crazy.  The people who are really into it spew “facts” they learned at partisan cable channels and blogs.  And the casual participants usually just cling to whatever party their father and grandfathers belonged to, with all the ancient stereotypes attached.  Eventually people just start shouting, and aren’t too interested in listening.  No opinions are ever swayed, people just get pissed off and/or sound like complete maniacs.

So, I have my opinions, and I’ll be going to the polls tomorrow and voting a certain way.  And that’s where it ends for me.  I won’t be sermonizing, I won’t be going door to door like a Jehovah’s Witness, and I won’t be waving a signboard like I’m on Let’s Make a Deal.  I’m just going to pull the lever for my guys, and go to work.

By the way, I also started out clinging to my dad’s political party, and now I’ve gone in the opposite direction.  The transformation was complete around 2000, I’d say, when I was 37.  And it’s something we don’t talk about around the Thanksgiving table, thank you very much.

Please don’t argue about Obama and Romney… It’s really dull and annoying.  But I’d like to know if you’ve changed your political opinions through the years.  Or if you’ve remained the same.  Did your original views come from your folks, like most people?  Or, like the two guys above, do you just not give a crap?

Also, have you ever lost friends or contact with relatives because of political differences? Do you argue, or just keep eating your soup in silence?  Please tell us about it.

I know I’m playing with fire here, asking for comments about politics, and not wanting political arguments.  Especially on the day before a presidential election.  But let’s give it a shot.

And I’ll see you guys again tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Now playing in the bunker
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Henderson says

    November 6, 2012 at 10:43 am

    No political discussion? OK, how about religion and abortion?

    Reply
    • The Qweezy Mark says

      November 6, 2012 at 11:56 am

      How about abortion and opinions on the best tomato soup.

      Reply
  2. Fancy Pants Maguire says

    November 6, 2012 at 10:46 am

    Check out this interesting graphical representation (a recursive partitioning, or classification tree) of the pathways to the White House:

    http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/02/us/politics/paths-to-the-white-house.html

    Kinda looks like everything is dependent on how Fla votes in this election (again?!?), as it is the first bifurcation in this tree. The graphic is interactive, so you can play with some ‘what if’ scenarios rather quickly.

    Reply
  3. Fancy Pants Maguire says

    November 6, 2012 at 11:36 am

    The early results are in!

    There was a tie in Noxville Ditch, NH: 5 votes for Romney and 5 for Obama.

    Reply
    • WB in OH says

      November 6, 2012 at 11:40 am

      I DEMAND A RECOUNT!

      Reply
    • CADude says

      November 6, 2012 at 12:43 pm

      How many votes did soup get?

      Reply
    • Bill in WV says

      November 6, 2012 at 12:44 pm

      Early results from Logan, WV……Romney 34 votes, Obama 17 votes. It was reported that only 17 people voted.

      Reply
  4. The Divine Miss E says

    November 6, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    My family is about 95% democrats, the ones I have contact with anyway. My mother was a social worker with the state, in the welfare department… my father calls her a bleeding heart liberal. I got my politics from her. My father, the older he gets, the more he gets hellbent on voting for the weirdest presidential candidates possible. I’m pretty sure he voted for Ralph Nader three times. It enrages my mother, but amuses the hell out of me.

    I don’t talk about politics, either. I realized along that way that nobody else cares about my political leanings, so I keep them to myself. I just sit quietly and eat my soup, because if I started arguing with people, I feel like it would end in me having a stroke. And that wouldn’t be good.

    Reply
  5. Wisey in TTown says

    November 7, 2012 at 1:14 am

    I guess I am an asshole. Obama sucks. Obama phones for all.

    Reply
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