misfitS pOLITICS
We talk. We write. We entertain. Or so we think.
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Dan In 2012, when Barack Obama had a no record to run on, his promises had fallen short, and his policies were unsuccessful, he opted to run a high-profile celebrity campaign against boring unemotional Mitt Romney. Obama turned up the celebrity charm, and people stood in awe of his presence. He sang Al Green in the Apollo Theater. It was brilliant, brilliant politics. He offered his opinion on celebrity feuds, and posed for pictures while playing pool. It’s proof, people would say, that the country is in good hands. Yes, Romney talked policy, he talked smart, he talked decent, but he could not fare against the singing and dancing Obama, who said he could do the Gangnam Style dance. A perceived cold-blooded Romney, as well-meaning as he was, could not compete with Obama, who suddenly was homebrewing beer in the White House and sharing his secret recipe with the world. Celebrity sells, coolness sells, and it sells cheap. Obama was cool.
For all that coolness, I'm not convinced Obama actually likes people all that much, and I'm less convinced that he is actually as cool as he portrays himself, but it doesn't matter. He was able to connect, dazzle, and people hang on his celebrity more than his presidency. Fast-forward through a term of television reality TV appearances, selfie sticks, interviews with YouTube stars, and offering opinions on pop culture, including whether or not dogs should wear pants. The show goes on. The show goes beyond politicians themselves, as they enlist celebrities to propagandize for them. This isn't a new tactic, nor is it limited only to any one party. It isn't always inherently bad, either, and some good may come from attention brought to a particular issue. However, in a world of social media and constant information exchange, where fiction is taken as fact, celebrity politics deserves some scrutiny. Why are we at a point where Kim Kardashian was spouting false gun rumors and Jack Black was Obama's salesperson on the Iran Deal? To start, we would rather be told what to think or feel about issues rather than think critically and research them ourselves. It is much easier to have them dictated to us. We want our opinions to be solidified into fact immediately without regard for evidence. The word of pop culture idols seems to be enough to do that. Our worship of celebrity far surpasses our appreciation for honesty. Whether or not something is true is less relevant than who is speaking it. We no longer verify sources and consider any celebrity an expert in whatever they are talking about. Objective journalism has become irrelevant. People want entertainment over substance, and bias over neutrality. Media isn't of value unless it throws dirt at the opposition and validates your opinions. Ultimately, we are an insecure people with no clear principle, and we want to constantly be validated by wealthy elitist strangers who don't know us or our circumstances, and who will not have to endure the consequences of whatever they are campaigning for. We scoff at these criticisms of course, because we've refused to take ourselves seriously and have even been telling everyone else with concerns that they are upright and need to relax. We had fun, and nicknamed a SCOTUS Justice after a rap star, and she got so comfortable with being a celebrity she openly criticized a presidential candidate. We relaxed, and a reality TV show host decided he could run for president, so he can have fun too, and won the Republican Nomination. We continue to collectively expect less of our leaders, believing a Twitter war between politicians is something more than a sideshow, or a celebrity endorsement is a valid argument. We've bought into the lie that somehow we are doing well, when someone we idolize agrees with us. We need to start thinking for ourselves again.
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Guest Contributor Janet Lee This is hard for me to write. I have avoided engaging too much with this election since my trend-reading and predictions skewed very wrong for half of the nominees. I have been able to predict political trends well previously, and was just completely wrong in my underestimation of a candidate. Then again, so was Nate Silver, so perhaps I am in good company. I was also wrong by overestimating the kindness of the country. That overestimation, of decency, love, and understanding, is the reason I am writing this.
Let me get this out of the way; I am using a pseudonym. I have a family that I wish to protect and cannot speak my mind safely on the Internet in light of recent events. That being said, I am an Asian woman who was adopted into a white, middle class family in a suburban area from infancy. I am Asian only in genetics, and have marginal connections to any Asian culture or heritage, but respect that it is very much a part of who I am. I am American. I am a citizen. I care about this country. I want good things to happen for America and Americans. I have a Masters degree, a career, and am raising a family. Some people would call me whatever the new term is for millennial yuppies. I am everything the middle class of America is, and for the first time, I am scared of what the future holds for my family. My daughter, not yet a pre-schooler, could inherit a dangerous world. Let me speak about race. I am concerned that since she is mixed race, and a female, that the rhetoric of the country will not be kind. I see it turning slowly, between the way Twitter users can turn on former friends, the way race is a political game, and the way the country has people gaining media attention that spout crude and derogatory phrases casually and frequently. The Internet is quick to label people by whatever is convenient to the narrative, the most sensational, or the most inflammatory. People will speak about and to others online in ways you would never expect or hope to hear. Hateful speech is now mainstreamed, and the era of decency seems to have passed us by. We must change this now before it becomes worse. Silently accepting this is not a choice anymore. This is not an Asian or a mixed race problem, but it is a decency problem that is leaching into the lives of many citizens. Whenever anyone does not match the selected vision of the American citizen, they can become a target. As a result of being mixed race, my daughter will face struggles from two different perspectives. One because she is not one hundred percent white, thereby reducing her entirely to being of Asian descent and negating her personality or experiences. The other being the dreaded “other” box on forms, forcing her to accept the non-normalized mixed race status of otherdom or picking the side she would rather be. I worry that she will be forced to face racism, something that I rarely had to do growing up, sexism, as is still too often the case, and the worst – the intersection of the two. I am afraid for what my daughter will face if we normalize this rhetoric and behavior, and I am afraid for our family. I have always believed in America and its citizens’ kindness towards others, and I have to believe that we can change the trajectory of this election. We need to in order to move forward and accept the people who are Americans. We cannot be mired in cruelty or we breed fear in citizens, nor can we just silently and passively accept this as normal. I have hope that this election is a referendum on more than just branding. However, until a change happens, that seed of fear and doubt will linger as I raise my daughter. Dan I’ve witnessed over the past few weeks the breaking apart of Twitter relationships over Trump support. Politics among friends is always a risky game, but we have to admit, the Trump experience is different. We’ve all witnessed the turn of a friend into a Trump supporter. Maybe it was slow, maybe it was fast, but suddenly your friend is on your timeline attacking you, when a few weeks ago you were defending them from the same type of attacks. It’s hard to fathom, and it’s tempting to try and salvage that relationship. Let me save you the trouble: you can’t.
The way cults work is you are either in or out, and there is no middle ground. While at first the relationship may seem amicable, it does not last long. Even if it is, the mentality of the Trump supporter is not something you want to see a friend engage in. You don’t want to see the stuff the newly indoctrinated Trumper will be posting in your timeline. It will make you uncomfortable, especially when they begin to mingle with the alt-right crowd. The alt-right crowd will not like you. The full on Trumpers will not like you. Whoever your friend was in the past, they aren’t the same now, They have new friends, and those friends won’t like you. The conflict with the new crowd may not happen right away, but it will happen, and your old friend will not have your back. Now I understand the individuals who’ve decided to vote for Trump in the face of Hillary. But that choice is quite different from joining the propaganda team and plugging for him in typical intimidating and vile fashion. Even the reluctant Trump voters can suddenly be full on Trump enthusiasts. Normal friends can have differences of opinions, but this isn’t a time of normalcy. Save yourself the stress and heartache and block them out. Never Trump is going to get thinner. Come November, it might be a smaller crowd than you think. The pressure to fold will be greater, and some of the people you thought would never switch sides will. I’ve seen good people beat up on people they once fought with. These were friends who have turned on them. It’s painful to witness. It’s going to get messy, messier than it’s been, and you don’t need to have your old friends attacking you. It’s a difficult thing, but I can’t imagine one relationship on Twitter worth enduring the full Trump mentality. Not one. So end it if you must, and you’ll be better off. |
MisfitsJust a gaggle of people from all over who have similar interests and loud opinions mixed with a dose of humor. We met on Twitter. Archives
January 2024
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