Why I Don't Blog on Politics Much

Even though I find politics fairly interesting, I don't generally blog about it. And here's why. There are few subjects in a conversation that will almost immediately crush any hopes of good discussion more quickly than talks of politics. People arguing over their favorite flavor of icecream, no big deal. If you get into an argument with someone on whether white or purple grape juice is better, you're likely to be able to have a meaningful conversation after that. However, that is often not the case with politics. Especially these days. There are a ton of people who think Bush is the Antichrist, Hitler, etc. If you say you like Bush, it is not uncommon for such folk to think you're a complete idiot. And the reverse is often the case as well. If you read/watch any political discussions, you find stupid attacks on people all the time. It's not about logical discouse, usually. It's about saying the other guy is evil/stupid/untrustworthy...

And, of course, I have an example. Some anonymous person posted a sarcastic and mildly insulting remark on my state of the union post.

>Who was it who once said "This is just pitiful" (a reference to a post I made)?
>Oh yeah. I agree with the invocation "God bless America," it's just that I
>don't see it as having happened in the current leadership. By a long shot.

Was that really necessary? Of course not. He could have just as easily had said "I don't like Bush. And I don't think a proper relationship with God drives his decisions." That would have been fine. But modern political discussion these days tends to turn into ad hominem attack and useless whining. I don't mind when people disagree with Bush, or me. I really do not. Actually, I look for it. I've come to realize that I will not grow intellectually unless people critique me. And sarcasm as a tool for humor or effective discouse is great. But being sarcastic and implying "you apparenly have little discernment" is just annoying.

That is the climate, it seems. That's why I won't really get into significant political discussion on my blog. I think it will hamper other discussion which isn't so explosive and is a lot more fun.

Now to bed. I'm tired.