Let the Games Begin
Well, here we are – another presidential election season to survive. I am very proud to be an American and to live in a country that provides everyone the freedom of speech and the right to vote for their leadership. But ask yourself this question – if you were able to financially, would you run for President?
Think about it. They put your life, and the life of practically every member of your family under a microscope. Any transgression in high school or college can be blown out of proportion and be news fodder for days. Has anyone survived high school and/or college without an embarrassing moment? We all have people in our past who could share a story we don’t want shared. But worse are the people who embellish or even make up stories for their fifteen minutes of fame. And it seems instead of properly vetting the story, or putting it in perspective, the media will chew on it for days and days.
Your physical persona is open for comment. You either pay too much for your haircut or you are cheap because you don’t pay enough. You spend too much on your clothes, making you look too slick or you don’t pay enough, looking disheveled and un-presidential. You appear too wooden or you roll up your sleeves and look like the person everyone wants to know.
And what is most distressing to me is that the campaign becomes a contest of who can tear down their opponents more effectively. The political ads that appear in the media are not based on supporting your views or how you will address the issues, but everything your opponent is NOT doing.
But let’s remember what the Bible tells us about that in John 8:7……“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
The sad thing is the role we play in all this. Yes, the media plays a very large role but who buys the magazines, the newspapers and watches the television shows? We’ve become so obsessed with celebrity and the outrageous that at times I think we’ve lost our perspective.
We make world-wide celebrities out of people who like to take photographs of their behinds. No couple, least of all a celebrity couple, can get divorced without people trying to find out who was at fault. We get caught up in, and even sometimes take sides in celebrity “feuds” whether they are real or not. And don’t even get me started on reality TV.
So what does that say about us and how we decide who to elect as President? Is our decision based on what is reported to us and the inflammatory television ads that bombard us every sixty seconds right before the election or are we doing the research to vet the most credentialed and capable candidate? Do we even consider who can work collaboratively with everyone in Washington for as we know, the President can do nothing alone, no matter how much Donald Trump tries to make us believe otherwise?
What if we were to declare a moratorium and for just one day not buy a newspaper, magazine or turn on the radio or TV? Sadly, I’m not sure we could make that happen, and even if we did, I’m not sure there are enough people out there who want the news media to go back to reporting the facts. It’s not as entertaining as what we call news today. And that makes me very sad.