Since this is my inaugural post here at Liberal D.O.G.MA, I figure y'all deserve an explanation as to why I got into this in the first place. Unlike the many others who publicly express their opinions on politics, I'm not in the game to pontificate or proselytize, nor am I here because I get paid to spout the talking points of the day and to get into cat fights with other amateur pundits. No - take away every assumption you have about political blogging and throw them out the window, because I'm about to blow your mind. I'm here to make you both smarter and politically aware, all at the same time
I think - no, I know - that our country is in decline because we, the American people, don't care about what our government is doing, or what direction it's taking. I find it a damn shame that children recognize Ronald McDonald faster than John Adams, or Spongebob Squarepants faster than the Speaker of the House. I find it reprehensible that grown men and women - the taxpayers that make America function - would rather watch "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" over CNN, and they can rattle off the last seven Taylor Swift singles, yet have no idea who represents them in local, state, and federal government. I can't stand how Americans choose not to vote because they "hate politics," but always muster enough breath to whine and moan about how they pay too much in taxes while taking advantage of the services paid for by the taxes they pay. We have a certain level of political ignorance in this country that defies our self-proclaimed status as the "greatest country in the world," or our status as the world's sole superpower.
If you walk the streets of Rome, or sit at a café in Pristina or Athens, or go to dinner with friends in Helsinki, you will find a common trend in conversation: politics. Around the world, people are more aware of political realities than ever before, especially due to the Internet - Canadian students protest the Parti Québeçois for anti-Anglophone legislation, or Greeks contesting an EU bailout - and yet the United States holds the distinct and pitiful title of "Most Politically Ignorant and Apathetic Country in the Developed World."
...seriously? America - the birthplace of modern republican democracy - is so ignorant and apathetic about its politics that we refuse to even talk about it? We're too apathetic to even exercise the most basic political right of voting? This isn't even a shame - it's a goddamn disgrace, an embarrassment, a massive failure by us to keep alive the passion and interest in politics going for future generations. As an evolving electorate, we must break out of this rut and give this dying institution a little defibrillation, a new spark plug. Without lively political debate, we keep our ideas and views of the world hidden to ourselves and, if we don't challenge our own ideas and the ideas of others, this ideological divide we are witnessing today will only grow more divided. I anticipate that the fires of hatred an violent rhetoric will only grow higher and hotter until it burns alive the fair, beautiful maiden we call Progress.
I will be damned if I allow Progress to die. By sharing our personal politics, we can find common ground, see the similarities in ourselves and see that shared bond we all have for our beloved home. We an make this land truly great once again, and that is why I'm here.
I am not an ultra-lefty Liberal, though I am left-handed. You will see that there are things my colleagues will say with which I will disagree, but you will find that I am a lower-case liberal who demands common sense and progress from his government and his people. I see this land, and this medium, as a classroom for proliferation of great ideas, and I fully intend to be your professor and your moderator in this great debate. I'm about to drop some knowledge, so grab your textbooks, friends - class is now in session.
I think - no, I know - that our country is in decline because we, the American people, don't care about what our government is doing, or what direction it's taking. I find it a damn shame that children recognize Ronald McDonald faster than John Adams, or Spongebob Squarepants faster than the Speaker of the House. I find it reprehensible that grown men and women - the taxpayers that make America function - would rather watch "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" over CNN, and they can rattle off the last seven Taylor Swift singles, yet have no idea who represents them in local, state, and federal government. I can't stand how Americans choose not to vote because they "hate politics," but always muster enough breath to whine and moan about how they pay too much in taxes while taking advantage of the services paid for by the taxes they pay. We have a certain level of political ignorance in this country that defies our self-proclaimed status as the "greatest country in the world," or our status as the world's sole superpower.
If you walk the streets of Rome, or sit at a café in Pristina or Athens, or go to dinner with friends in Helsinki, you will find a common trend in conversation: politics. Around the world, people are more aware of political realities than ever before, especially due to the Internet - Canadian students protest the Parti Québeçois for anti-Anglophone legislation, or Greeks contesting an EU bailout - and yet the United States holds the distinct and pitiful title of "Most Politically Ignorant and Apathetic Country in the Developed World."
...seriously? America - the birthplace of modern republican democracy - is so ignorant and apathetic about its politics that we refuse to even talk about it? We're too apathetic to even exercise the most basic political right of voting? This isn't even a shame - it's a goddamn disgrace, an embarrassment, a massive failure by us to keep alive the passion and interest in politics going for future generations. As an evolving electorate, we must break out of this rut and give this dying institution a little defibrillation, a new spark plug. Without lively political debate, we keep our ideas and views of the world hidden to ourselves and, if we don't challenge our own ideas and the ideas of others, this ideological divide we are witnessing today will only grow more divided. I anticipate that the fires of hatred an violent rhetoric will only grow higher and hotter until it burns alive the fair, beautiful maiden we call Progress.
I will be damned if I allow Progress to die. By sharing our personal politics, we can find common ground, see the similarities in ourselves and see that shared bond we all have for our beloved home. We an make this land truly great once again, and that is why I'm here.
I am not an ultra-lefty Liberal, though I am left-handed. You will see that there are things my colleagues will say with which I will disagree, but you will find that I am a lower-case liberal who demands common sense and progress from his government and his people. I see this land, and this medium, as a classroom for proliferation of great ideas, and I fully intend to be your professor and your moderator in this great debate. I'm about to drop some knowledge, so grab your textbooks, friends - class is now in session.
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