Tuesday, April 12, 2011

30 Days of Pictures: Day 11

Day 11: A picture of something you hate

While many people consider me to be a curmudgeon, I have to continually convince them that this is not the case. I'm not a cranky, bitter old man. In fact, I'm actually pretty easy-going and jovial. As such, it's really hard for me to answer this question. What do I hate? Sure, the Wisconsin Badgers (and frankly, most Wisconsin sports fans) irritate me to no end, but it's not really that I hate them. Nor do I hate the TSA lines at the airport. In fact, I am more bothered by people who can't seem to comprehend how to easily breeze through security checkpoints than I am the concept of airport security.

No, what I hate more than anything on the planet is the bloviation of political discourse prevalent in American society today. As a political science graduate, and someone who worked in the Minnesota Senate and wanted nothing more than to work on campaigns and take an active role in our political process, I detest what it has become. A series of soundbites and talking points, reducing the level of discourse to screaming matches and vitriolic hyperbole is no way to engage in political conversation.

Billions of dollars have been made on the backs of these "pundits" yelling at each other and pandering to the lowest common denominator. It's patently offensive to the tens of thousands of Americans who have lost their lives to provide the freedom for these idiots to spew their drivel. I hate it and I hate what our political process has become. The new media and technology should have made it easier to become an educated voter and active member of society but these people have dumbed the process down, making us a society of hateful, spiteful, malicious idiots.

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