Friday, November 9, 2012

American Politics is Melodrama

I really cannot comprehend the level of melodrama and exaggeration when it comes to how people treat politics in America. It baffles me. Everything is the freaking end of the world if your preferred candidate loses. I cannot react properly to things because it is just so absurd that it's funny, but people are so emotionally invested in their political beliefs (however misguided they are) that it should be sad, or at least horrifying.

Take for example the recent re-election of Barrack Obama. A massive victory against the odds. Not many presidents manage a 2nd term, especially not during a time of poor unemployment (which is improving I might add). Conservatives reacted by taking to social media to cry and moan.

Tyranny and darkness. It's almost as if Obama is a dictator and democracy is dead! What?

Now surely that's just one person overreacting...
I saw tons of people a while ago say on a social media site that they'd move to Canada if Obama gets re-elected (because Canada is notorious for not having any socialist welfare systems like healthcare). This got picked up by Tumblr and got turned into a joke. If I hadn't seen those people complain beforehand I would not have known that it was meant to be based off a serious idea because the way people react to Obama is ridiculous. I have lost the ability to distinguish between a conservative rant and an internet troll. Seriously. If you were to believe what Fox News has convinced people to believe then Obama is a socialist communist dictator liberal Muslim who isn't even an American citizen. (I KNOW people who say this sort of thing which is really sad). Now surely there is a system is place to stop illegal immigrants from running for office... if I was an illegal immigrant I wouldn't put myself in a position where I am CONSTANTLY under INTERNATIONAL scrutiny 24/7 in case anyone bothered to ask me for a birth certificate (which has been available online since 2008. Seriously people it is a non-issue to the point of absurdity to even question the validity of his citizenship).

It is so blatantly obvious that Obama is not a Muslim (he eats pork, consumes alcohol, doesn't pray, adhere to other tenants of Muslim faith, is a Christian, doesn't fast on Ramadan, is a Christian, and isn't a Muslim) and even if he was it would be a non-issue because there is a thing called Separation of Church and State.

Obama isn't going to tear apart your country, America. There is no massive downfall of society just because you have a President with different ideas to you.

This, by the way, is one of my favourite overreactions:

(For those who don't know: Australia doesn't have a president we have a Prime Minister, who is a woman, and is an Atheist who lives in sin with her partner. Fun fact: Australia has not descended into hellfire, we have not had our liberties torn from us, our country is not in ruins, and basically the only issue is her policy ideas don't please everyone).

Look up on Twitter and you will find a string of these tweets about how if Obama won they'd move to Australia or Canada... It baffles me. Do they not know anything about Australia? We don't have really conservative political parties for them to be comforted by. We have centre-right and centre-left parties and guess which one is the Liberal one...

Can someone tell me what liberties are being destroyed by Obama? What great atrocities are being committed? Last I checked her was a supporter of Gay Rights and if I'm not mistaken giving gay people rights ADDS to the overrall social liberties of the country, helps create a sense of unity, and allows its citizens to feel included instead of divided. You can't just throw around the word "freedom" as a buzz word to back up whatever you say. It doesn't work that way. I hear it ALL the time. "Our Freedoms are at stake!" What Freedoms? I never heard what freedoms. I have never heard a coherent argument as to why electing a Democrat = the end of the world... I understand why electing a Republican can destroy freedoms though: Mitt Romney opposes same sex marriage and civil unions. Already I instantly see a major way that Republicans have singled out a specific group of people and placed them as lower class citizens. Obama on the other hand is mixed race and had to work his way up in the world from humble beginnings. He understands the middle class plight. He has a tangible connection to different ethnic groups. I truly believe he cares about all kinds of people regardless of their sex, race, or orientation.

It really concerns me how some people (White people) in America react like an election is a disaster. It's... 4 years... of a guy who sincerely honestly wants to help his country. Ok, so you disagree with the method he wants to employ to do it (that is, Fox News will try their best to demonize him for everything he does, even if it has been supported by a Republican candidate because it's a good idea until the OPPOSITION has it - then it will DESTROY AMERICA AND TEAR FAMILIES APART!) but he is not a monster.

America will survive Obama... it will not only survive, but it will most likely thrive. There is no destruction of social values, there is no end of days... there is no need to mourn the loss of a once great country, and most importantly it is time to remember that America is a democracy.

More than %50 of people voted for Obama.

Therefore this isn't a disaster for the country, it is what the majority of the country wants. Conservatives are just so narrow minded that they can't understand any difference in opinion. If something goes wrong you need to yell and complain about it until someone consoles you like the blabbering child you are or tells you to shut up and takes away your internet connection. Speaking of blabbering children, here's Donald Trump's twitter:


Look. Just admit that you have difficulty winning an election through anything other than scare tactics, fear mongering, and trying to coax out the inner racist of some of the population (hopefully not a large amount of people, but every person you can convince is important when your party isn't very popular amongst Hispanics, Jews, and Women).

And here, to conclude, is my favourite overreaction to a lost election ever from the cincinnati tea party website:
It's so melodramatic I expect the webdesigner immediately placed the back of their hand against their forehead and fainted as they wailed "WOE! WOE! I WEEP FOR THE DEATH OF THE GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH!"

Dear conservatives:

Suck it up and shut up. It's 4 years and then you get a new President. It might even be one you voted for if the rest of your country is stupid it enough to agree.

Sincerely, everyone else.

1 comment:

Kate said...

Point of interest from a history student!

You can't actually be president of the United States if you were not born in the USA. So OBVIOUSLY Barack Obama was born there, or he couldn't have ever even run for president. Bit of a weird policy imo but they're an awfully paranoid country. Too bad their own citizens don't know their own policies well enough to know that!

(You can, however, be Governor. Like the Governator. Awwww yeah.)