I post about politics a lot. I do it on purpose and I do it for numerous reasons.
The main reason I do it, is to get back at the people who have posted so much racism, sexism and religious prejudice over the last eight years, my head was spinning. It took me removing myself from Eastchester, to realize just how many of my friends are filled, sorry, overflowing with ignorance. That may sound harsh, but let's be honest, bigotry isn't about hatred, it's about ignorance and the inability or resistance to understanding another.
I hate cherries, but I understand why people like them. I hated tofu, curry and cauliflower at one point in my life and now they are staples of my diet. Why? Because I hated them based on texture, smell and the reaction to eating them. When I realized they could be prepared in so many varieties, I realized they were just the same, if not better, than those things I already liked.
But what do I get out of these political posts on social media. A voice. My voice was taken away when Trump won, just as my friend's voices were taken away when Obama won. So there's my second and third reasons to post. The second is, it gives me a voice, but the third is, I get to articulate my feelings on every point. Unlike my friends, who didn't like Obama because he was 1. A democrat and 2. black, I am not that shallow. I disliked Obama for his drone strikes, keeping Guantanamo open, pumping out oil like a Texas baron and ignoring the resistance on pipelines and not being more forceful with the Supreme Court nomination. There were others, but those were petty personal issues. I kept those to myself. The positives, not for me, but for the nation, outweighed those dislikes, and therefor, I liked the man. That combined with the fact that he represented the family values we Americans covet, made him a good president. Time will tell if he's great, but I highly doubt he'll ever get that dubious distinction.
So why else do I post? I'm scared. I'm scared for the environment, because despite what social media has said, Trump hasn't actually done much. What he has done though, is open up pathways to set back eight years of climate change reversal. Imagine for one second if the most skeptical scientists are right. We have 100 to 120 years left on Earth as is. That means our generations kid's will have children who will die, because of us. Their kids may be young when they perish. Sadly, it may not matter, because they'll be so indebted to our system and so vastly under-educated, they won't know what hit them.
Why do I post? Because people enjoy it. Despite what many thing, for every person who hates me, tells friends they're going to kick my ass, even kill me, there are people who appreciate my care and the fact I take the time to make sure what I post is true. Something in this day and age is unimportant.
People think I'm abrasive and combative, but the reality is, I have a young niece, who is going to grow up in a difficult world. She'll face sexism, racism, religious persecution and possibly gender or sexual preference scrutiny. She'll be paid less for the same work, she'll have to worry about walking alone at night and she'll have to worry that every man in her life doesn't have her best interests at heart. And here's the best part, she'll have all these hurdles to face, despite being privileged. Imagine if she started out with the world not in the palm of her tiny hands? That's why I post. For her and for those who don't and won't have her opportunities, despite being created equally.
The main reason I do it, is to get back at the people who have posted so much racism, sexism and religious prejudice over the last eight years, my head was spinning. It took me removing myself from Eastchester, to realize just how many of my friends are filled, sorry, overflowing with ignorance. That may sound harsh, but let's be honest, bigotry isn't about hatred, it's about ignorance and the inability or resistance to understanding another.
I hate cherries, but I understand why people like them. I hated tofu, curry and cauliflower at one point in my life and now they are staples of my diet. Why? Because I hated them based on texture, smell and the reaction to eating them. When I realized they could be prepared in so many varieties, I realized they were just the same, if not better, than those things I already liked.
But what do I get out of these political posts on social media. A voice. My voice was taken away when Trump won, just as my friend's voices were taken away when Obama won. So there's my second and third reasons to post. The second is, it gives me a voice, but the third is, I get to articulate my feelings on every point. Unlike my friends, who didn't like Obama because he was 1. A democrat and 2. black, I am not that shallow. I disliked Obama for his drone strikes, keeping Guantanamo open, pumping out oil like a Texas baron and ignoring the resistance on pipelines and not being more forceful with the Supreme Court nomination. There were others, but those were petty personal issues. I kept those to myself. The positives, not for me, but for the nation, outweighed those dislikes, and therefor, I liked the man. That combined with the fact that he represented the family values we Americans covet, made him a good president. Time will tell if he's great, but I highly doubt he'll ever get that dubious distinction.
So why else do I post? I'm scared. I'm scared for the environment, because despite what social media has said, Trump hasn't actually done much. What he has done though, is open up pathways to set back eight years of climate change reversal. Imagine for one second if the most skeptical scientists are right. We have 100 to 120 years left on Earth as is. That means our generations kid's will have children who will die, because of us. Their kids may be young when they perish. Sadly, it may not matter, because they'll be so indebted to our system and so vastly under-educated, they won't know what hit them.
Why do I post? Because people enjoy it. Despite what many thing, for every person who hates me, tells friends they're going to kick my ass, even kill me, there are people who appreciate my care and the fact I take the time to make sure what I post is true. Something in this day and age is unimportant.
People think I'm abrasive and combative, but the reality is, I have a young niece, who is going to grow up in a difficult world. She'll face sexism, racism, religious persecution and possibly gender or sexual preference scrutiny. She'll be paid less for the same work, she'll have to worry about walking alone at night and she'll have to worry that every man in her life doesn't have her best interests at heart. And here's the best part, she'll have all these hurdles to face, despite being privileged. Imagine if she started out with the world not in the palm of her tiny hands? That's why I post. For her and for those who don't and won't have her opportunities, despite being created equally.
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