A field guide to growing up without growing apart
This month we decided to talk about what, well, everyone is talking about. The US presidential election! All the princesses weigh in on what this election means to them and how they are managing to stay sane in an insane world. Well hi there, […]
Guys- my mom likes Donald Trump. I don’t mean that she is crazy about him or thinks he is the best thing since sliced bread, but she likes him, respects him, and would vote for him for president. To me, Donald Trump appears obtuse and […]
Hey there 20 somethings! I know, I know– t’s been a long time! Sorry for that. Ariel was in charge last month and instead of doing her duty to the blog she was running around Norway with friends. Can you say troll-ific? Anyway, at last we have a condition of the month ready for you, and the question this time is about politics. Do you like to ‘talk politics’ or is it something you avoid at all cost? Is there something to be learned from hearing other people’s opinions on the issues, or is everything so partisan nowadays that there isn’t really any point. The princesses weigh in.
I feel like every year I hate election time more. It just brings out the worst in people. I have the sudden urge to burn down Facebook because it is so full of hatred. It seems particularly bad on my friend list because I have a lot of Christian and small hometown friends who are pretty conservative, and then way more liberal friends from the big city I live in now. My newsfeed becomes a war zone and I end up wanting to toss my phone against the wall. 
This is a tough question. I like politics, I learn a lot whenever I talk with people and it is always fun to argue, but I don’t spend a ton of my own time going over the facts and I know a lot of the people who I’m arguing with don’t really either. It gets a bit old to debate when I know both sides don’t have all or even most of the information. But I think talking about things helps and it is always good to try, so in all I like talking about politics, even when either side digs in and refuses to explore other ideas. As for the upcoming election, I’ve already gotten into a bit of trouble with my brother for adamantly saying I want Hillary to win. He thinks I don’t know enough about her or the other candidates and am just blindly following her because I like her. And he is right. I do like her, and I love that she is a woman. To me Hilary knows the system and has a decent head on her shoulders and I trust her to do her best. Sure, I’ll disagree with her on some things, and sure some other people may have a view for our nation closer to my own, but I haven’t been in politics and in the white house for many years of my life. She has, and she knows more than I do and more than most of the people who will run against her. To me, that is enough to vote for her. I can be convinced otherwise – but I don’t feel like my lack of facts or specific information makes my choice a poor one. We’ll see what ends up happening, but I’m glad that I am allowed to have an opinion even when I don’t have all the facts.
One of the great things about living abroad is that it sort of exempts you from caring about politics. Okay, not really—I know that some awareness is every citizen’s duty—but is nice to feel the pressure ease off. Like Cindy, I do not currently live in the US, so that means no advertisements, no twenty-four hour election news, no signs on the side of the road. The world of US politics is still there waiting where I can find it, but it is not banging on my door the way it would be at home. Honestly, I really appreciate the break. Politics is such a messy and complicated thing, and I don’t know where I stand any more on too many of the issues. I feel that by living in England, I have given myself a little breather—a time to try and figure things out. Also, I have found that living abroad is able to give a good sense of distance; I am now more easily able to see American issues in light of global comparisons, to see how different ideas are worked out in different places, and somehow avoid some the polarity that says there are exactly two ways things can be done: no more, no less. I think it has been really helpful for expanding my thinking.
The other great thing about living abroad is that not only are you kind of freed from politics back home, but you are also free to listen and learn abroad without being expected to have strong opinions. Previously, in the US, I found most political conversations a bit uncomfortable: you never know what people’s stances are on important (and touchy) issues, and before you know it a perfectly peaceful conversation has become a heated argument or even a fight. But over here, I have found that I can just listen. I have found being a foreigner to be a free ticket into political discussions on all sides of the table. No one tip toes around me, or expects me to share (or even understand) their stances. I can’t explain how nice it is to be able to hear people’s opinions played out without feeling the need to judge, condone, or oppose them. It is also pretty fun to get to learn about a new political arena and its issues. In England, for example, they have more than just two parties. There is the conservatives (aka the Tories) and Labour (I guess the classic left), but there is also this party called the ‘Liberal Democrats’ which has its own platform, as well as more minor parties such as Green and the radical anti-immigration UKIP party. Also, there are all kinds of different rules, like the fact that the Prime Minster isn’t directly elected, and the bishops of the church have seats in the House of Lords (the upper chamber of Parliament). Talk about a different scene!
Living in England, I have found I actually enjoy conversations about politics and exploring what other people believe. But I know part of that is the reduced amount of responsibility of holding and explaining my own positions. Certainly, that is something equally important, and is something over time that I will need to face. For the moment though, I am enjoying free swim in the political sea, content to learn from the events and people around me.
— Ariel
I grew up in a house where Fox News was often the default TV channel, with a brother who would talk your ear off about politics from a young age. Thus, I developed a bit of an aversion to the political world, because all I experience of it were angry debates—it seemed to be too easy to judge someone else for their political views as if those were moral failings and they were a bad person. These days, I still avoid politics for the most part, though I try to keep up on the news as much as I can. Living abroad has insulated me from divisive political commentators and, (thank-you, Lord!) political TV ads. With the presidential election coming up, I have been tuning it a bit more than usual, mostly because it seems like there’s a new candidate in the race every week, but I still wouldn’t say politics is one of my favorite topics. In the last decade or so in America, as I matured from a teen to an adult, I began to see clearly how inefficient our government is, and how corrupt it can be at times. It’s downright depressing to think about how so little gets done in Washington because the parties are at odds with each other and everyone’s looking to advocate for a small slice of special interests, rather than the good of the country as a whole. Living where I do, though, has also forced me to consider politics from other perspectives, and I have found it interesting to discuss broader issues, like the relative merits of democracy and monarchy, for example. As the country ramps up for the craziness of the 2016 presidential election, I wish you all good luck. I’ll be chilling over here, in a country where women only gained the right to vote this year.
— Cindy
This Condition of the Month is coming out to you a little late– the fault being all on Ariel’s front! But you know, stuff happens… anyway, I hope you all will enjoy our thoughts this month on the question of feminism. How do you feel […]
I leave to raft the Grand Canyon in less than 14 hours. I’m excited. I’m lucky. I’m overwhelmed. I’m all things all at once. But mostly, mostly I’m disappointed. If the Senate and the House don’t come to a decision by tomorrow night the National […]
“My only influence was through moral suasion,” said the late C. Everett Koop, America’s highest profile surgeon general, who with little more than a warning convinced a nation to rally against smoking. He made no new laws, searched no homes and attacked no amendments and yet drastically improved the health of our nation.
And therein lies the solution to our gun violence problem.
In a manner akin to the anti-smoking campaigns we have so effectively waged, the American populace needs to wage a marketing campaign against guns; Fewer Guns Equals Fewer Deaths.
No new laws need be enacted. The 2nd amendment will not be threatened. No new government programs are required. All we have to do is use a little moral suasion.
I’m sure talented individuals are hard at work already, harnessing the extensive network of progressive non-profits standing by, but don’t worry Duck Dynasty fans, this won’t be a crusade on ALL guns. If you’re a hunter, go for it. Panicked we’ll take down the 2nd amendment? Like I said before, we’re leaving laws alone. Afraid we’ll melt down your heirloom for a plowshare? Your antiques can rest easy, though keep in mind your gun is more than a piece of art, a well-made tool or a classic car. Your gun is a deadly weapon and all we want to do is make sure everyone understands that.
Here is an ad from my local newspaper last month. The Valentine’s Special at the gun range:
”Sure love is thrilling, but wait until you experience the thrill of shooting one of our new, high tech machine guns.”
Many folks, including myself, would likely enjoy vaporizing a target on a Saturday date night, but is that thrill worth the cost? Selling guns as a Big Boy Toy is the single biggest mistake we are making concerning our efforts to reduce gun violence. The more hip guns are, the more go into circulation and the more people get a hold of them who shouldn’t. I don’t know about you, but I can think of plenty of other ways to have fun. Got Sense? Get a New Hobby.
Convinced you need a gun to protect yourself? Be armed if you must, I do not know your situation. But again, be aware your choice comes at a cost greater than yourself. Perhaps you, of course, are an excellent example of a responsible deadly weapon owner, but when your friends and acquaintances try to follow suit are you sure they’ll be up to the task? If you wouldn’t trust your neighbor with your grill, would you trust him with a gun? Guns are like a prescription drug, easily abused and riddled with side effects.
I trust my friends, you say, together we’ll stop the bad guys. But you must know guns create thousands of unintended criminals who fire in a moment of anger, by mistake or simply out of curiosity. Just today a drunk kid was killed for accidentally coming home to the wrong house. I’d rather lose all my possessions than be responsible for the death of a child- no matter how guilty I think him to be. But guns don’t kill people, people kill people, you say. And you’re right, people who want to cause harm always will. But the more guns around, the more folks get their hands on one, simple as that. Just Say No to Guns.
Wait, you protest, it’s our responsibility to defend ourselves against foreign invasion or the US government itself. Sorry folks, the romanticized days of Western gun slingers are long gone and revolution takes decades. If you think the American populace is going to give up their weekly TV show for a principled stand you better start working on your ark as well. American Idol, My Anti-Gun.
What we need is to start talking. Gun violence has become an epidemic that we’ve refused to admit needs treatment. Now is the time to show the nation guns aren’t cool (Utah has a new app for that), that owning a gun has serious side effects for yourself and the people closest to you. If you feel the need to keep firearms, fine, we’ll trust you to dedicate the appropriate time to their responsible use and storage. But do not be so brash as think you are doing the rest of us a favor. It’s time for guns to be seen for what they are: dangerous diversions. If we have campaigns against smoking, driving drunk, obesity, and teenage pregnancy then surely we can afford to use a little moral suasion to get guns out of date night.
I’m not usually one to delve into politics, but this week I’ve got something on my mind. I’ve seen a lot in the news the past few days about the Benghazi hearings, in which Secretary of State Clinton took heat from Republican members of Congress […]
It’s finally here! November! The best month of the year! Anything can happen! The day when we can all come together and make a difference in our world. Yes, of course, it is time for our first ever Condition of the Month! From here on […]