-
-
-
My Favorite Charities
MommyBlog Reviews (& Giveaways!)Joining: A Chance to Lead
. 
. 
. 
Link Love
. 
. 
. 
You Might be a Zealot If…
As much as I hate that guy who does the redneck jokes, I can’t help (during these final days before the election) looking at both sides and wondering if all the supporters of all the parties in the entire US of A have lost their darn minds.
So, I came up with this list. You don’t have to tell me if you scored on it or not, it’s okay. Everyone seems to have a little zealot in them this election.
Here are some warning signs that you might be past the loving supporter stage and into that wild-eyed “zealot” stage of support.
- If you don’t understand why the other party doesn’t like your candidate.
- If you think being a community organizer or a war veteran makes your candidate a “no-brainer” choice.
- You think that your side is the only one playing fair and being respectful during the election.
- If you really think your candidate is the only choice.
- If you talk about your candidate and people start looking at you the way they look at the people that come to their door to save their souls.
- When you sound angry all the time in defending your candidate or tearing down the other candidate.
- When you’re having two different conversations on Twitter and you say to one of the people “I’m having the same conversation twice” because you’re totally not listening and you’re just talking about what you want to talk about.
- You have the nerve to tell a well-informed person that their question/argument is “just another GOP/Dem talking point.” That’s WHY it’s a talking point, because there’s something to TALK about.
- Assuming your side is going to win to the extent you are cocky.
- You feel fervor – actual in-a-church-yelling-hallelujah fervor – when you think of your candidate or talk about your candidate.
- You get whipped into a froth over something that you would normally consider totally stupid. Be it one candidate leaving his first wife, or another candidate approving a 3 Million dollar projector (and not bothering to check what kind of projector costs that much.) Or a candidate getting a bajillion dollar makeover (while not remembering how much Hillary spent on clothes.) Or swearing an oath on the Koran or calling the other candidate “that guy.” Or even questioning the nationality of a candidate. Or you care if Joe the Plumber paid his taxes or how much he makes or even have a moment where you actually care about some dude named Joe you’ve never met. Or that a crazy racist yelled something ignorant and hateful at a rally. Or that at one point one candidate was pals with some guy that hates America. Well, duh. There are a lot of people that hate America – mostly everyone who threatens to move to Canada depending on the outcome of the election. But a guy who hates America is not going to run for president. Another duh. But either way on all these points, it doesn’t matter. It’s just fluff. A million little stupid, meaningless things that won’t affect a presidency one bit. Yeah, if you’re freaking out over this stuff, you may be a zealot. If you can explain away the ones that are aimed toward your candidate but are behind the ones that are aimed toward the other candidate and yelling about how wrong/unfair/horrible these thigns are…you are TOTALLY a zealot.
I’ve seen every one of these (save number 7, which was a totally personal experience) from both parties. Do I see it more from Obama supporters? Sure! But that’s because, for some reason, social media leans more heavily liberal than conservative. I do my best to stay neutral, but the closer and closer the election comes, the more I see opinion thrown out as truth, and people take it in as if it were truth, because there’s this big circle-jerk where someone says something, everyone agrees, and then everyone hugs (virtually) because they are all so darn right. They are filled with the rightness.
For some reason, no one stops for a moment to say to themselves, “Wow, either way here we’re voting for a presidential candidate that’s human. Someone that has experimented with drugs, drinks, and wants to be the President of the United States.”
See, for me, that’s a problem. I don’t know how I feel about any candidate that wants the job so badly as Obama/McCain do. Or any candidate for that matter.
I mean, you have to think you’re qualified to run, right? Of course you do. Heck, the word experience keeps getting thrown at someone every day, be it Obama or Palin. But it doesn’t matter. See, I don’t know that I will ever do anything in my life that makes me feel I’m qualified for the job of President, and I think anyone that does (from a war vet to a community organizer) has a mental condition that should seriously be checked out. No matter what party you represent. No one should think they are up for that task, much less spend a year convincing the rest of the country they are. It’s a messed up process.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want someone assigned as president or anything like that, I just think there need to be more than two choices. The democrats and republicans are just different shades of gray, and watching people convince themselves their lives will be so much better under A or B candidate is wearying.
Do I think you should proselytize like a door to door religious person? Sure, if the mood strikes you. But preaching to the choir is just silly – which is why I don’t understand all the fuss on social networks. You’re not going to swing an undecided voter on Facebook or Twitter.
If you want to make a difference, you should be calling people in Ohio or some other swing state and make sure they are voting the way you want to see them vote. You have the white pages right here on the Internet.
Stop telling me who to vote for and tell someone that isn’t informed. Tell someone that is having trouble making a decision. Tell an idiot – because it’s the idiots of the world that make elections and elect presidents. There aren’t enough smart kids to make a difference in the polling booths, so the smart kids need to be smart and find ways to influence groups of not-smart kids.
Because no matter who you’re backing, there is still time to make a difference or solidify the lead or do whatever it is you want to see happen.
I fully expect one comment, at least, to tell me this post was a Democratic or Republican talking point. Because that’s what I would do 
Oh – one last thing – I’m not saying being a zealot is a bad thing. Just know you are and be able to dial it down a notch when talking to an undecided voter. Zealots don’t convert people that make a difference – just ask the door to door religion salespeople.
Question: Do you think the political fervor will die down once the election is finished? If so…how fast? Do you think the political bloggers will continue on once the election is over?
