...but I've had it! It's only September 6th and I already want to crawl into a hole until after the election. It's bad enough that the TV commercials have started - ok, I have Tivo, I can fast forward. It's bad enough that the phone calls have started - no big, I have caller ID and I know how to hang up my phone. But now the evil has invaded my most happy places - email and Facebook! These are the places I go to veg out, to see cute pictures and funny quotes, to figure out what in my kids' schedule that I've missed putting on my calendar and what the newest Living Social deal is. They are not places where I want to be slapped in the face with the fact that people I like and respect, people that I adore and who know how to make me laugh, have decided to be mean and nasty. All of a sudden, they've gone from people who post pictures of puppies and inspirational quotes to people who - at best - are posting half truths and going for the backhanded insult. At their worst, they're posting blatant lies and being downright disrespectful.
Here's the deal (warning: run-on sentence about to begin) - if you would like to have a conversation about why you're voting for your guy and why I'm voting for my guy, about what issues are important to you vs. what issues are important to me, about why you think my guy's plan won't work and why you think your guy's plan will, about what my guy is doing right and what your guy is doing right, about where we could meet in the middle, about where your party is falling short and where mine is, about where our parties could support each other and discuss why it's so sad that they don't - then I'm all game. I don't pretend to know everything about every issue, but I know enough to be able to have a conversation with someone without insulting you to your face. I know enough to know that every blurb we hear about what an idiot either guy is, it's not the whole story. Both sides cut and paste better than a preschool teacher. Both sides say only the worst about the other and only the best about themselves. I don't care which candidate "supports this message" - it's never the whole story. This isn't new people, so please stop quoting these blurbs like they're Gospel.
I realize that I can't control what people post on FB and that my little rant here won't stop anyone from sending me political emails - but please, at least put something political in the subject line, so I know not to read it. I'm already tired of being mad at my friends about politics. However, as I typed that, I realize that I'm not mad at them about politics, or how they feel about politics. I'm mad that they feel they should shove it down my throat. I'm not posting about what an idiot your guy is, stop posting about mine! I know, I know! I'm not actually going to stop anyone from posting anything. And I could hide them or unfriend them, but the truth is I just don't want to. I want to go back to a time where wasting time on what I consider entertainment was just that - entertainment, fluff. But noooo - not now. Now I'm slapped in the face every time I turn on my computer by someone implying that I'm the idiot for having the opinion that I have.
So now the rant stops and the begging begins. Please, please, please friends - please stop. For the first time since I became addicted to FB, I'm considering not logging in. Now I know that some of you might think that's a good solution, but for me, it's sad. I love my computer - my email and FB. I don't want to give it up, not even for two months. Now I'm not saying that "liking" a candidate or party is bad, but please don't be so belligerent. Please don't be insulting and crude. Please be respectful and please, please, please - please, I beg you - please be the wonderful good-hearted people I hope you are!
I'm trying to sparkle - and I support this message!
(whew! I'm glad that rant's over)
