Fire and Gasoline OR Facebook and Politics

This is the first election that I have lived through on Facebook and I’m ready to run for cover. My newsfeed is so full of political postings and opinions that all the fact checkers would have to work six hundred hours a week just to sort the mess out. I’ve been foolish enough to be sucked into the drama, and then I declared my Facebook page a political free zone. I joined Facebook to keep up with people, more family than anything else, but I never saw this mess coming.

Here’s the deal, freedom of speech is a right afforded to all of us, but for goodness sake, does it have to be so hateful? Both sides are absolutely full of it, and I’m almost ashamed for the behavior of some individuals who post what they post. The name calling, the accusations that someone is an idiot or worse for what they believe is NOT a debate. It’s insulting and belittling. Sure, some are funny. The best news feed I read had a rant running a mile long on both sides when someone popped up and posted “Let’s talk about religion!”

My Daddy used to tell me “You should never talk religion and politics,” and I now understand what he meant by that. You can’t bludgeon someone over and over with the same hate speech and expect them to come over to your way of viewing things. They may be brain damaged after the fact, but they will forever see you in a different light. The other thing I’ve noticed is people forget who they have on their friend’s lists. Some have expressed hateful views about Catholics, Mexicans, Jews, and Muslims on their pages, and then they wonder why they get dropped as friends. Let’s face it folks, there is a time and a place for political pontification, but I doubt it’s for Facebook. It can’t be a debate with no give and take. It’s not an opinion when you express hate over one group or another, and when you disrespect one, you disrespect all.

I respect everyone’s right to pick whatever political party they wish and to vote in that direction. I do not however, feel respect when people belittle others for not sharing the same political views that they have. You can’t call someone a right wing religious zealot nut or a left wing commie pig and expect to have an intelligent debate.  Anyway, that’s my political rant for the day….unless you want to talk about religion.

Left, Right, Scooby-doo and Sly

Oh Heaven help the country because it’s that time again. The political debates are on, and with them come the blame game. Were any of these potential candidates ever raised by parents or some sort of guardian with scruples? Did they ever hear, “I don’t care who did it, just do what you’re supposed to do!” The left blames the right, the right blames the left, Democrats blame the Republicans, the Independents are just trying to get a word in edgewise, “and so on and so on and Scooby dooby doo-bee.”

What’s worse is that too many of us “Everyday People” seem to get in on the act with, “There were more jobs under this one, or gas prices are higher now than when so-and-so was in office.” Oh for goodness sake. “There is the blue one who can’t accept the green one for living with the fat one, for trying to be the skinny one.” Holy cow! Are you sure we’re not tucked back in 1968?  When did we all forget how to work together, to listen, or to have a true debate without slugging up dregs that have nothing to do with fixing a problem RIGHT NOW! Oh shame on us all.

Right about now I think all those on Capitol Hill could benefit from a little Sly and the Family Stone. “Sometimes I’m right, then I can be wrong.” Whew, honesty, no finger pointing, working to be right and admitting when wrong. Seems our politicians need to take a trip back into time to 1968. (I know some of them are old enough for a flash back.)  Sly’s song could teach them some values that don’t go out of style when you keep the best interest of the people at heart. After all, “We got to live together.”