Loving to Hate

I've done what I promised myself I wasn't going to do...

...I've gotten caught up in politics.

As I watch my dad fret over the paper every day, the little biologist's voice in me reminds me that everything is genetics. Somehow that doesn't help. I want to stop. I need to stop, because my stomach won't be able to take it. (The little biologist, ever unhelpful, also reminds me how about the physiology of the stomach/duodenum, and the etiology of ulcers.)

What I need to do is to stop reading message boards. Specifically, political message boards, though, as my brother (again, everything is genetics) has pointed out, Patriots fans have been particularly grating this year. Why? Because we, as Americans, love to hate.

We like to mask that hate as "competitiveness." I have a tendency to agree with Peter Beinart who admits that sports fans are "essentially amoral." Let's be honest: when it comes to the dirty pool of classless competition, Americans win the prize.

Let's apply the sports fan analogy to politics. The Husband likes to consistently remind me that underhanded dealings have been "around since _______" (insert reference from whatever David McCullough or medieval history book he's digesting here.) Okay, fine, whatever. Can't we finally rise above that? We look down on countries that oppress free elections, yet cheerfully goad our politicians to create believable spin. Is this really how a democracy is supposed to work? No wonder so many young people fall into the coveted "disenfranchised, disaffected" category. An entire generation has been raised on seeing/hearing one thing from the political machine, and believing another (I can't be the only one screaming "Yes, idiot, you did say that, it's on You Tube!" at the TV.)

Yet we follow these politicians. We choose hate over logic. Need evidence? Some samples from CNN.com's political ticker :

"If I ever thought I could vote Dem again, your sickening behavior pushed me over the aisle." "Take that, Hillary haters."
"One word for Nader….LOSER!"
"HAHAHA. All you conservative robots can stop talking now and go home."

I could go on, but the "all caps, can't spell" crowd is making me depressed.

It's not going to stop. Half of the country is going to vote because they hate George W. Bush. Some of the country is going to vote because they hate Bill Clinton. And, I fear, nothing is going to get done over the next 4 years...again.

Unless...