Politics isn't a team sport 🏈

Giving people advice is almost always a waste of my time. It doesn't matter if the advice is sought or not, whether or not I have valid experiences to back it up, or even if I have the facts behind it because people don't see me as a legitimate source. Perhaps they view me as a flake or wacko; I'm not sure, but they definitely don't think I ever know what I'm talking about, and that's fine; it don't hurt my feelings. I have more productive things to do with my time and energy. 

I bring this up because I also avoid the topic of politics. If you haven't guessed it already, it's for the same reasons I explained in the first paragraph. Not that it matters, because these days, most people bring it up on their own anyway. You could be sitting around a dinner table or standing in a checkout line at the grocery store, and someone will share their opinion with you. And if you disagree, they repeat all the talking points they heard in mainstream media. If you attempt to break down why that's not correct, they grow frustrated because, much like our current politicians, they've only memorized the lines of this play; they didn't actually read the whole thing. 

People on social media are probably the worst. Everything is virtual signaling. They deem it necessary for everyone to know their stand and that they're 'good people' following the 'right' path. I've mentioned this previously. But more and more, politics are starting to feel like a team sport. It's no longer about making positive progress but your 'team' getting another point. In fact, it's as if people are more tied up to their 'team' than they are concerned with the results. So what if people die, families go hungry or become homeless, or if life in general is miserable and hopeless, as long as your 'team' is doing better in the polls or scoring some political point. It's all about rubbing it in your opponent's face. It's like a sporting match, where people trash talk the fans on the other team, except for the stark reality that this isn't a team sport, an irrelevant game, but real life with real consequences and relationships you're never getting back. 

In the end, the test is how we treat each other. We're not going to pass.

Don't be loyal to a color

I recently read a fascinating (non-fiction) book that took place about a hundred years ago. Probably the most fascinating thing, however, was the fact that despite all the times people got fucked over by the government, they continued to support the same parties that fucked them over.

Am I being too blunt?

Without getting into too much detail, this family was loyal to one, specific political party. Later in the story, we learn that this particular party completely screwed over the family. Not only did they financially screw them over, they essentially used them up and spit them out. And yet, the family continued to be loyal supporters of the party.

I guess this fact wasn't so surprising to me, considering I see it in real-time in my own century. What surprises me is that people weren't smarter back then, but equally naive as they are now. I always thought people were gullible now for a multitude of reasons including being much more distracted with technology, tied in traffic, and things that wouldn't apply to people in the early 1900s. Having said that, I hesitate to say they're busier now because we are talking about a time when manual labor was much more intense than it is now. You didn't throw the dishes in a dishwasher and clothes in the washing machine and sit your ass down to stare at Facebook for an hour in 1920. 

These days, it shocks me how blindly (and I can't emphasize that word enough) people follow some political leaders and make excuses for them. I mean, I once considered myself a Liberal, then for a short time an NDP, and now I've swung more Conservative and People's Party of Canada because I watch what they're all doing and saying. I don't loyally stick to a party and make excuses for them and pretend I don't see what I don't want to see. And really, that's the problem now. I'm pretty sure these supporters are the same people whose 16-year-old could get high on cocaine, steal their brand-new SUV, and smash into another car, killing a family and they'd make excuses for him. 

Johnny's friends were a bad influence on him. You just don't understand. 

The problem is that the car wreck that's Canadian politics now can't be resolved until everyone admits the truth and make politicians accountable. Maybe even dive in and learn about a topic, rather than automatically accepting the mainstream media spin on things. I don’t give a fuck what side you’re on officially, our country is in trouble. If you want to show your loyalty, show it to Canada.