This is not a political piece.
I was watching the first presidential debate while cooking dinner for my family the other night and, as expected, it was a complete circus. If you watched or listened to any of it then you know exactly what I am talking about. I will not tell you who you should vote for or who “won” the debate, at best I can say, America lost. I did think a few things were inappropriate at best and some inconsistencies made it feel like it was slanted for sure. For example, a question was leveled at the President about his tax history before he was president. My objection is primarily that debate questions are supposed to be relevant to both candidates and that was very directly only applicable to one. I told you, I am not here to tell you about what politics I support or what you should. To legitimize the question a financial question could have been asked of the other candidate as people have questioned some of his finances as well. Not a perfect or elegant solution, but it would have made it feel less targeted. It also seemed like the debate was between the moderator and one of the candidates instead both of the candidates. My daughter came in and was very distressed to hear some of the name calling. She said it sounded like two little boys fighting. She was also bothered that one candidate called the sitting president a clown; this is because as a proud American I have taught my children to respect the office of President of the United States regardless of any opinion of the President. I have not always been a fan of all of our presidents, but I have always respected the office and the person elected to it as the choice of the people.
I write about all this for one reason and one reason alone; as men we tend to be indifferent about things that do not directly impact us from day to day. In general I would wager the majority of the population (in my opinion) are only concerned about things that impact them directly when it comes to politics. I was certainly that way for the majority of my life, I admit it, and I stayed far away from the political spectrum because I believe it has completely lost it’s way. I don’t think it represents the people well at all. Most politicians are completely out of touch with their constituent’s daily lives and concerns. Very few represent their home base at all, much less in day to day life. The whole system is a complete mess and has drifted very far away from what our forefathers envisioned.
I get it, who wants to pay attention to the circus that is more tragic than humorous? The problem is as long as we stay uninformed and detached from it, not only will we not change it, we won’t even know when they do things that do impact us directly. Most people go straight down a ballot on party lines, but the parties are not accurately represented by the little notation by their name these days for example:
Self-described “Transsexual Satanist anarchist” wins Republican primary for New Hampshire Sheriff
Yes, I fact checked this, that is an actual story from mid-September that occurred because people ran down the little “R’s” on the ballot without knowing anything about the candidates. Aria DiMezzo did not hide who “he/she” (gotta watch those pronouns these days) is or what beliefs are held; people just didn’t bother to read up. Anyone familiar with the Republican Party knows this candidate was way outside of their standard platform. There are some elected candidates for the Democratic Party that I would have once said were way out of their normal platform as well.
I am not saying you have to become super political, if that is not your jam then I totally understand. Politics is a sh*t show at almost every level (sorry, I really can not say that any nicer) of politics. Even local elections are a nightmare anymore.
What I am saying is we can no longer idly sit by and live quietly in our little bubble, because that bubble is going to change. Don’t run the “my vote doesn’t make a difference” crap either; several elections in the last few years have come down to very small numbers. As men our job is to lead, not sit back and watch things happen. In the 2000 film “The Replacements” there is a great exchange between the coach and the quarter back:
Coach: Falco! If I had wanted Cochran to have the ball I would've called it that way!
QB: I read blitz.
Coach: Bullshit! I put the game in your hands... you got scared.
QB: I READ BLITZ.
Coach: [walks over and looks at Falco with disgust] Winners always want the ball... when the game is on the line.
The movie was a gold mine of subtle wisdom besides being really entertaining and having great quotes in it. A fun flick to cuddle up with someone and watch, even if she isn’t into football.
Men want to have a say in their lives, much like everyone else. When it is important you want to make sure you have control in that moment so you can control or steer the outcome and you can’t do that if you are ignorant or indifferent.
Election season is here, learn about the people on the ballot and what they stand for and believe. Take a few minutes of your time and dedicate it to being informed on people who will impact your life. Then do your patriotic duty and go vote with your beliefs for who you believe represents you and what you believe.
I am going to leave you with one more quote from the movie, because it applies to The
Fallible Man with one slight tweak
QB: Hey coach, can I ask you a question?
Coach: Yeah, shoot.
QB: Why me?
Coach: I look at you and I see two men: the man you are, and the man you ought to be. Someday those two will meet. Should make for a hell of a (man) football player.
Thank you for reading this!
Be better tomorrow because of what you do today!
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