We are so much more than who we vote for.
Political activism is essential and it is important to voice your opinion by voting. However, being a Republican/Democrat should not be a personality trait. I personally do not identify with a party because I think good ideas can come from anywhere. Candidates aside, I’m sure we all can look at policy from each party and find solutions we agree with as well.
We are more than who we vote for. We are so much more than a constructed party system that was strategically designed to put one side against the other. Most of us are probably somewhere in the middle and have a lot more in common than the sensationalizing candidates’ agendas lead us to believe. For Example:
We all want safer communities.
We all want education for our children.
We all want healthier ways of living.
We have been convinced that there are only two ways of achieving political goals and one of them is right and the other is wrong. Solutions do not have to be conservative or liberal. Why can’t they just be effective solutions? Because that is not profitable….
Here’s a little background. The biggest duopoly in America is not Coke or Pepsi; it’s actually the Democratic and the Republican parties. They benefit from having this rivalry and division more than they do from working together and creating policy that is effective.
Our political system can be described as a market where the two biggest firms have almost 100% of the market share making market entry nearly impossible. Parties are profitable firms. One isn’t more righteous than the other, BUT they are both in the business of selling you on which one is.
They convince you that you cannot just be a democrat, you have to be a democrat and hate republicans, vice versa. They convince you that the other is a threat to democracy and if you don’t vote with them you are voting against what this country stands for. Both sides have the same ‘make or break’ rhetoric and use this division as a weapon.
Two parties cannot realistically represent all of our unique ideas. We need to start thinking for ourselves instead of blindly subscribing to party ideals.
But, until our voting system changes this is our reality, so let’s make the best of it!
We are so much more than who we vote for because we can make a difference every single day with out having a label. We can make change by being aware of the forces that are pulling us apart and focusing on the places we can find common ground. So, let’s follow policy and forget about politics.
Inspiration and citation for this blog comes from the podcast Freakonomics Radio: https://freakonomics.com/podcast/politics-industry/
