The grand tirade against politics

This is going to be rambling and vitriolic so deal with it.

I've had enough of politics, political science, poli-sci students, and poli-sci faculty. For many of you who are friends from GW, you'll know that I have long since shed the concern I once had for the political universe. Politics was a good thing to talk about when I was younger, when the people I was around were, for the most part, smart enough to make an argument and defend what they believed. You see, at that time it was about belief, not about party. I'm not saying that none of the people at high school were partisans, what I'm saying is that the people I associataed with tended to be more concerned with the philosophy of it all rather than which party had the majority in the House.

All that changed when I came to GW. In some cases, people are more informed than they were at home. People here can name Congresspeople by their district and recognize all the who's-who of Congress. But beyond that, it seems that nothing else is important. For the majority of GW, if there's an R next to your name, you are the enemy and must be destroyed at all costs. Most people here don't seem to care about anything other than party affiliation. It's been said that whatever you do, in determining your political beliefs, you should want to make the world a better place. How you propose to do that, obviously, varies from person to person.

What I find, though, is that people who invest themselves heavily in politics do not care about making the world a better place. All they care about is that their party is in power. All they care about is cutting down the other party and mindlessly trying to forecast how many districts they'll pick up in 2006. Who is in the majority in the House and Senate seems to be more important than the unemplyment rate, the strength of the dollar, or even the plight of the typical American. Why? Because it's easier to change the people in power. It is not easy to address the root causes of things like racism, unemployment, and a dysfunctional intelligence system. Those things take time. People have convinced themselves that when their party is in power things are going well, and when the other party is in power, things go to shit.

So therefore, instead of concerning themselves with things that take generations to change, they take up their party's flag and start crusading like a flaming idiot. All because they believe that their party can change things for the better. Well guess what, the biggest problems are things that have persisted through countless administrations, and across several generations. If the Democrats win seats in the House, I guarantee you that nothing will change. Nothing.

I'm using a lot of unspecific pronouns here - a lot of "theys" and "peoples." Most of the time, I'm referring to the people that I have to deal with on a daily basis in my political science classes. These people sicken me. And I am deeply saddened that some day they will be my bosses. The people I speak of completely define who they are by whether they are "liberal" or "conservative," "Democrat" or "Republican." They treat politics like it is a soap opera. Like a game.

Tom DeLay is indicted! Woohoo! All the liberals are elated because now they can finally quench their thirst for big-business Republican blood. Don't you see what is happening? The foundations of American democracy have been undermined by someone in a position of incredible power... and you're celebrating!!!!!! Are you people fucking insane? The day that the majority leader of the House of Representatives is indicted for high crimes such as these is a sad day for all Americans, not just those from "red" states. Incidents like these undercut whatever is left of the American public's faith in the system! Why the fuck would you ever be happy about that?!

And you know what, I know what these dumbass poli-sci students would say to that, too. "Oh, well now the Democrats will pick up seats and they can finally set the country on the right course again." Who the fuck are you, claiming that the Democrats have the cures for all of society's ills? Nothing is going to change unless all the dumbass poli-sci students across the country get their thumbs out of their buttholes and start realizing that America will continue on its present course unless those who are in charge of the political machines reject the perverted view of politics being cultivated at institutions such as GW.

Politics is not a game. Politics is not a soap opera. Politics is a serious, serious business. Treat it as such. Stop caring about bullshit things like how many seats one party can pick up over the other and start caring about the direction America is going. Do something to help people. Help keep our citizens safe by becoming a law enforcement officer. Work at a community service organization that helps to get the homeless back on their feet. Become a teacher and do your part to equip the next generation with the knowledge and tools to become great Americans. I firmly believe, with the utmost sincerity, that by dedicating your life to a cause, to helping people lead better lives, your time on this Earth will be more valuable and more fulfilling than sleeping your way to Washington, or worse yet becoming no better than the person who sits at home all day reading TV Guide, obsessing over the latest exploits of the characters on As the World Turns.