The Emotions of Politics

I almost titled this post 'The Insanity of Politics', but I realized it's really about emotions. It isn't really insane; it's just ... well, ok, maybe it is.

My wife told me of a semi-celebrity who posted a supportive comment of Mitt Romney on her fan page the other day and, while there were some supportive comments, the feedback quickly degenerated into a childish fight. People expressed support for Obama, then for Mitt, then for Ron Paul, and then they started throwing insults at each other. There were some attempts to calm the rhetoric, but it was mostly silly.

I don't know exactly why people get so charged up about politics, but I think it's an unfortunate commentary on human nature. I see that kind of discussion going on and I just sigh; I laugh silently at the circus; and I long for some semblance of sanity to return to public discourse. That may be wishful thinking, but I do occasionally hear rational discussions in the public sector.

I actually think all three of those guys the fans talked about are pretty decent. I strongly disagree philosophically with a couple of them and I'm sure they're all far from perfect, but at the same time, I see good in all of them. But for some of the supporters of any one of them, all other candidates appear to be demons.

My approach in times of campaigning is typically to stay away from the news completely. I'll check out headlines and occasionally read a story, but I often feel disgusted after that and I go back to my old ways.

Another trick I've tried off and on is to turn on the talking heads and mute them. Try it sometime. It's pretty amusing and very therapeutic. I can't do it for more than a few minutes or I get bored, but it's a nice little diversion.

Religious discussions sometimes devolve into the same kind of childish spat. Maybe that's why religion and politics have become taboo in certain social settings. It's just too easy to make people mad. Which is a shame because both topics are pretty important and well worth discussing. I don't bring them up at work very often, for example, though I try to live my life such that people can see my philosophy in both domains shine through my actions.

When I find people who can keep a level head while talking about those topics that strike so close to the heart, I really enjoy sharing my ideas and hearing theirs. But I think rational debate requires us to adopt the mindset that we're not out to prove our point, but rather to share with one another in an attempt to jointly arrive at a better understanding. This philosophy of debate seems rare. Maybe that's what I find so sad. Maybe our public debate is a reflection of the arrogance that seems so inherent in human nature.