I wax kinda moderate about the election, and gleee.

[mylittleredgirl]

So... the obligatory election bit. Don't really feel comfortable posting what I've been writing and thinking. As someone who fears conflict and aims for middle ground and Everybody Getting Along And Learning About Each Other's Viewpoints, I'm a bit intimidated by so much feeling, and so charged, and so polarized.

I'm not angry. I'm frustrated, disappointed, and scared, and trying to be hopeful.

My very strange reaction to all of this has involved a desire to be a student of sorts in a conservative, religious, Republican household. I think, perhaps foolishly, that I will be less afraid if I have the chance to learn about this, to understand this part of my country that is so different from mine, if there is a way to do it without anyone feeling put on the offensive. I want to know. I don't think people in this election, on either side, voted out of ignorance; I think we all voted out of fear of the threats to our various ways of life. I am not an activist by nature -- it feels phony to me to do the things that so many of you do so well -- and I have felt useless and unpatriotic because of this.

In my happy little la-la land, I think our country wouldn't be so divided if everyone understood each other's positions better. Maybe there really isn't more to this than it appears -- maybe the ways we want to live our lives in the blue and the red states really are totally incompatible -- but I suspect we wouldn't cling so much to the extremes if we each didn't feel like the middle was going to be pulled away from us.

I can start with my extended family. Because they happen to be Canadian, they don't think that religion has a place in the government... so it's a bit different, and they didn't have to make this particular electoral choice. These are good, kind, loving Christians who I respect and love, and yet it was a big, difficult question whether they could continue to love and treat their son as their own because he moved in with his fiancee before they were married. I don't understand this. I want to. More and more, I feel like I need to.

For the next four years, I want to work on that.

Please don't tell me how stupid I am for my naivete or be offended by any accidental condescension that might be in this late-night, poorly-expressed post, for that will make me sad. I know many of you are liberals who grew up in conservative households and are probably no less scared than me for your knowledge. So this isn't a way of improving the nation, it's just a way of maybe improving myself.

---

5 good things about today:

1. My car is back from Blowtorch Joe's and all shiny and pretty and un-crunched! (lisayaeger? I think it really might be better than new!)

2. OMG!! LOOK at the icon maching_monkey made me!! I have a linguistics icon!

3. alliesings said something to make me feel very loved.

4. Unexpected evening watching Stargate with alosersdream :)

5. Got TWO WEEKS off work for road trip! Supervisor didn't even CARE because I am officially fill-in staff! I walked away from this conversation with a "you're so great!" instead of mutterings about my wenchiness.

3 things I did well:

1. Did "consulting" gig of setting up dad's friend's computer. Successfully did things. Received money for transferring bookmarks of Yankees fan sites and naked women. *scrubs self clean*

2. Picked up car.

3. Made brightly coloured salad.

-- Little Red, receiving much-needed hug from down comforter!

Comments

[lytarules.livejournal.com]

I am so glad that you have gleee! It's reassuring to see on my flist - gives me a sense of rightness when so much seems off.

Go you! *needs to start doing gleee posts*

[daisycm83.livejournal.com]

You know, that's probably the nicest and most...logical thing I've read about this election as of yet. It's interesting...I'm a political science major, I'm supposed to be passionate about these things, and I am to a certain extent. But when it comes down to it, I'm a middle of the roader-what solution can we come to that will help the most people and not make everyone go crazy?

I think that people just get too righteous about it all. That we forget that many of the issues that are so important to us, aren't, no matter how much they seem to us, black and white issues. What's right for you may not be right for me and so on. Like you said, it's reaching a common ground, an understanding, that's important.

I'm a moderate Democrat who spent a year at the most conservative college in the nation. Literally. Like, it's famous for that. Over half the population were Libertarians. You can't spend a year in that atmosphere without being forced to examine why you believe what you believe, and explain that to someone whose belief structure is so far from your own that they look at you like there are celery stalks growing out of your head. Still, it's an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything, because I feel more equipped than ever to look at an issue and understand both sides of it, and still manage to reach an opinion on it. Spending large amounts of time with people who believe differently than you do is something I think everyone should be forced to do at least once-the world might be a more sympathetic place for it.

Kudos to you for speaking your mind. Hope you don't mind me doing the same.

[lifelongfling.livejournal.com]

5. Got TWO WEEKS off work for road trip! Supervisor didn't even CARE because I am officially fill-in staff! I walked away from this conversation with a "you're so great!" instead of mutterings about my wenchiness.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[annie-tait.livejournal.com]

I was going to copy/paste/italicise a few lines and comment, but I'll just save everyone some time and say, Hey, me too.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

I'm not going into a lot of detail in my journal since I know I'll be crucified, even by people I consider friends, so I am just trying to stay positive and hopeful for the future. Big supportive hugs to you.

[pellucid.livejournal.com]

I think you're absolutely right in so many ways, and I want to believe that we could all get along. When it's not politics, I think we do. But I spent most of my life as one of maybe a dozen Democrats (four of whom are members of my immediate family) in a very conservative, Christian, Republican area. I have tried for years to figure out why they think what they do--and many of these people are my dear, dear friends, whom I know intimately, respect, love and trust. Yet at the end of the day, the polarization is still there. My sister had random people coming up to her and screaming at her in recent days because she has a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker on her car. I gave up and moved away, first to NYC and then to Canada. How will we ever move past this if we can't even understand and respect one another?

(((hugs everyone because I need a hug myself)))

[jfpbookworm.livejournal.com]

Word. There's a lot of evidence out there (blogs, book choices, etc.) that the two sides (an oversimplification, but yeah) don't even talk to each other much, and when they do it always feels like they're not responding to each other but are just putting words out there for the benefit of the like-minded. Can't help but wonder what would happen if folks started seriously talking to one another.

[mystic-isles000.livejournal.com]

OMG your buddy icon for that is GREAT!
Much LOve cna' wait to se eyou!!
:-D