I just saw an article in my Google feed about how a Chevy Silverado EV just smoked a Tesla truck on towing distance. Why should this matter to me? I don't own either and never plan to own an EV anything. It was a defining moment, regardless. It just made it all too clear that we're being constantly bombarded with information, with opportunities to judge, with choices.
Why is this such a big deal? I've been scanning all the political scuttlebutt and came across a post by a woman who said she is so overwhelmed, stressed, even distraught over all the election news that she can't take it anymore. I call it "political PTSD". It's a big deal because, as adults and citizens of the United States, we have a duty to be informed and to make wise decisions at the ballot box this November.
But the stream of media coverage on both sides of the aisle is relentless. And a lot of it is contrived, fake even. Certainly biased. Very hostile. It's becoming impossible to stay objective. To keep a clear mind. To feel confident that we will fill out our ballots with our, our children's, our communities', our country's best interest in mind.
I'll be honest. I voted a certain way back in 2016 that I did not repeat in 2020. I saw the aftermath of that election and knew I wasn't going to participate in an encore. Now, the opportunity to vote once again as I had the second time is about to present itself. But it won't be the same.
I'm trying to educate myself on the issues and the campaign promises, but all the "experts" and all the politicians have such differing perspectives and such differing interpretations of everyone else's perspectives that I feel like I'm on a merry-go-round spinning so fast it's making me dizzy. On top of that, I'm trying to process the rhetoric, but it's all taking a toll on my intelligence and my sensibilities. All the messages this election cycle is especially vitriolic and poisonous. I think we've all forgotten how to be civil.
Oh, and the polls! I did research as part of my master's degree. I had to create and disseminate questionnaires around the college campus in order to acquire information about bullying behavior and the effects of it on working students. I had to interpret my data so carefully in order to produce a study that reflected the truth and how to fix it.
I just saw an article about a poll done since Trump's shooting. Several people as familiar with how to do an accurate and honest survey as I was taught raised red flags about the veracity of the results. The poll was done in such a way as to produce a particular effect, not report the truth. So, what are we to believe these days?
There's so much for all of us to ponder and so much crap to sift through to get at the reality of the big picture before we decide on who to hand the welfare of our nation. There's so much of past elections and of history itself that I've experienced and learned, I feel I understand what should be done better than a lot of people with the same power of the vote as me, yet I'm just another tiny voice in the loud clamor. A loud obnoxious clamor.
I've been slowly succumbing to fear and disillusionment. I sometimes wonder if ignorance is truly bliss. I'm certainly longing for the good ole days. I think they're over and gone, though. This is a new era. Crude. Divided. Distrustful.
All I know for sure is my head is about to explode and I'm gonna have gore all over the floor.
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