Frustration

This has been a very frustrating week for me. I'm not sure why, I've just had this underlying feeling of frustration and irritation. Maybe it's anxiety about the bone marrow transplant stuff, I don't know. I have been really upset about politics, but I'm not sure if that is a cause or a symptom of my underlying discontent. But it's certainly been on my mind a lot, so if you don't mind I'm going to emote a bit. Don't say you haven't been warned.

I guess what is annoying me MOST about politics right now is the feeling that we are allowing everything everything to be decided by the mainstream media. I mean, if American Republicans *really* do want McCain, then fine. I'm not sure I will be Republican anymore, but still, I can handle the voice of the people making that decision. But I don't feel like that is the case. I feel like most Americans are too lazy to look at the candidates closely and actually use their brains to decide who would be best. I think most Americans have totally abdicated their decision making over to the media. I mean, they work hard all day and when they come home, we want them to have to actually *think*?! What??!! In this out-sourcing society, I think most Americans have out-sourced their thinking to the people on TV.

I just can't stand that Americans are so stupid and that they let the media have so much power. I love the idea of the debates. It's a great way to be able to compare candidates side-by-side. Even when half (or more) of the questions are ridiculous and meaningless, at least it's a chance to actually listen to these guys. But few people even watch or listen to the debates. And most people who are even aware that the debates are going on, will rely on post-debate commentary to decide what to think. But the debates get so *little* coverage, and what coverage there has been, is about as insubstantial as you could possibly get. And I don't think most people pay attention anyway. You could have a debate, or many debates, in which one candidate truly emerges as the strongest on issues, the strongest in experience, the strongest in leadership. But if he wasn't the one that had the wittiest come-back or the most charming mannerisms, it literally will not matter.

It is so clear to me that the average Joe out there really does not care what the candidate's actual positions are. What their actual plans are. All they care about are meaningless things like who has the nicest smile or appears most comfortable in front of the camera. Or ridiculous dead-horse issues like abortion (something the President has NO CONTROL OVER except in whom he appoints as judges--so why don't we spend ALL the time that has been given to abortion instead talking about judicial appointments??). But it doesn't matter. Nothing of any meaning or substance seems to matter in American politics today. This is even more obviously clear on the democrat side, but I'm not even going to talk about that. It's just so incredibly discouraging to me.

I have pin-pointed exactly what upsets me most about elections. It is the fact that the stupidity of Americans is constantly thrust in my face. I can't ignore it or pretend it away. And it is very discouraging that the future of this country depends on stupidity. Maybe this is the way it has always been. Ben thinks so.

And I don't think Americans are stupid just because they're making a different decision than I would make. Truly, I'm not. What leads me to the stupidity conclusion is the method with which most Americans form opinions and make decisions.

The thing is, I would love real debate. Contrary to what many of you might think, I don't think either side is always right or always wrong. (Well, that should be obvious if McCain is the Republican candidate.) I think our country is strengthened when we have real debate over real issues. Please, can we PLEASE talk about issues of substance?? If the other side wins, that's ok as long as we've had real, honest debate over real, honest issues. If people truly understand the issues and truly understand the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate, and still choose someone or something else, I can really, really accept it. May the best man win and all that. I might be disappointed, but I wouldn't be filled with the despair that comes over me whenever I listen to the news these days. But the contest isn't over who has the best ideas or the best track record, or anything real or substantial. The contest is over the most meaningless things, and isn't even a fair contest since most Americans get all their information from the main-stream media which is so biased and so uninterested in actually presenting candidates in a fair way, or even talking about anything of importance. Big Hollywood stories get a hundred times more attention than any serious issues that will actually affect the future of our country. Even blogs depress me. You can read blogs on the left and blogs on the right, and at least you're getting some balance. But it's just one slanted, biased, dishonest view balanced with another slanted, biased, dishonest view. True, some are better than others, but still it's hard to know what to believe. Journalists, who once-upon-a-time actually thought their job *was* to uncover the truth, by and large don't even consider that to be in their job description. At least, they sure don't act like it!!

Politics has just become a sport in America. It's all about the polls and the predictions and the drama. It's such a mockery and it's so sad to me. I wish I could just not care. But I've got this stubborn part of me that *does* care, and that so desperately wants America to fulfill its potential. I don't want to believe that most politicians are corrupt and most Americans are stupid, or at best, totally apathetic. But every time elections roll around, I'm pretty much forced to acknowledge both of these sad truths.

Sigh... I know I'm being totally doom-and-gloom. It can't be *that* bad if we actually do have a good candidate who is #2 in line for the Republican nomination, and who still has a decent chance. Although in my opinion this is due strictly to the strength of the man, and not due to any virtue on the part of the media or Americans in general. Maybe it just seems like things are getting worse in America because I'm just becoming more aware of things. Still, it seems like we keep traveling further down the road of big-government, toward the ultimate cess-pit of socialism (which I will STILL insist is simply Satan's plan adapted to government). Sometimes we have someone who *almost* is able to make a difference, but just... not quite.

Maybe I'll be surprised. Maybe things will turn out really great on Tuesday. Maybe, somehow, Americans will actually start to care about something more than their daily dose of Hollywood gossip, maybe they'll actually start making decisions based on something other than their *feelings* or their pocketbooks. I have no idea what would ignite that kind of change. It would have to be something huge and terrible, and that is even more frightening to me. How many times have we seen this story in the Book of Mormon?

Anyway, enough. I have a headache. I still love this country. It's still the best country in the world, despite all it's flaws. I just wonder how long we can continue to be the best country in the world.