Let's Be Adults About Politics

One year. 365 days. 52 weeks. Those are three ways of telling you how long before we elect the next president of our country on November 8^th, 2016. It’s also how much time we have to grow up and stop embarrassing ourselves. I’m writing this to suggest that we all start acting like adults and remember that children are watching.

Although we are a year away from the 2016 election, we’re already about six solid months into election nonsense. We’ve seen several debates and more internet memes than I care to remember.

Here’s the problem with the internet: It gives people the idea that it’s OK to shame, blame, point fingers, make fun of and spew hate at political candidates….on BOTH sides. That’s right, I’ve seen signs calling Scott Walker a “tool.” I’ve seen others that call Hillary Clinton a “bitch.” I’ve seen a video with children flipping off Donald Trump. I’ve seen countless memes making fun of Bernie Sanders and his messy hair.

Is this what our forefathers and foremothers (is that a word?) fought for – jokes and behavior that aren’t even worthy of middle schoolers?

Last week, my husband and I attended an event at which Mary Matalin and James Carville spoke. (If you’re not familiar with them, Matalin is a very right-wing conservative and Carville is a very left-wing liberal. Oh, and they happen to be married to each other.) They spoke on the night of the most recent Republican debate. Here’s what amazed me: Although they disagree(d) with almost everything each other had to say, they were respectful of each other and never once resorted to low-end jokes or finger-pointing. And they could have – they were there to “entertain” us. I wished that all of America could take their example and act accordingly.

No, I haven’t lost my sense of humor. But I’m so tired of the misplaced outrage and anger. I get that we are mad about economy, jobs, social programs….etc. But couldn’t we do more with less hatred and more respectful discussion? Somehow, the internet allows the average person to do a fair amount of bullying by just reposting on Facebook or retweeting on Twitter. That's right, I'm calling it bullying. Just because you're making fun of a person in the public eye doesn't make it any less mean-spirited.

Last week, in a Creative Writing Club full of middle-school kids, we used the election as a writing prompt. We asked them to imagine they were running for president and write a campaign speech and platform. Along with some goofy comments about chickens (yeah, I have no idea), there were multiple comments about destroying Donald Trump and China. These are MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN. Where do you think they got these ideas? I think they are listening to what we say and do. Is this really what we want them to hear?

Yes, I’m unrealistic in thinking that this upcoming election year might be any less awful than past years. I, too, hate the endless TV ads and robo-calls, but I’d like to think that once in a while, the internet (and we) can be a powerful force for change. Perhaps we can share the idea that it’s cool to have respectful discussions and disagreement. Maybe people that disagree can look each other in the eyes and LISTEN TO EACH OTHER. See, that’s what I think is missing – we’ve stopped listening. We’re too busy staring down at our phones to sit down, think and ask someone: “What matters to you?”

We have to stop treating politics and elections as a team sport. We have to stop classifying ourselves as Republicans or Democrats and remember that we are ALL Americans. We ALL play for the same team. Just because our candidate didn’t win doesn’t mean we should slap a “He’s/She’s Not MY President” bumper sticker on our car.

I challenge all of us to sit down with someone who holds opposing political views and listen to what they say. (If you don’t have friends who hold different opinions than yours, I challenge you to find some. Surrounding yourself with people who only agree with you can be misleading...and boring.) Let’s all have grown-up conversations about the very grown-up problems that exist in our country today. Let’s hold ourselves and our elected officials to higher standards of behavior. After all, our children are watching...and listening.

Oh, and one more thing: Don’t forget to vote.