Your Politics Are Stupid

Can you believe what he thinks about the economy?

Did you hear her position on education? What kind of idiot would vote for her?

Politics is a fascinating beast. It channels our passions and hatred, giving them one of the most profound outlets I can imagine. It inspires us to love and to hate – it validates our convictions. Its motive power draws together strangers in the thickest bonds of the thinnest substance while tearing ties of friendship asunder. Politics simplifies good and evil through designations of left and right, conservative and liberal, and other affiliations that serve as shorthand for evaluating others. We are drawn to this dichotomy because it is tribalism of the highest order; it provides the comfort of company while giving us license to forego inspection beyond the R or D following one’s name. Continue reading

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Economic Illiterates Standing Up for the Uneducated

First off, I want to say that I will poke fun at others in the most civil way possible, as much as the title of this post may seem to suggest otherwise. Ad hominem is the refuge of the indolent, and I will do my best to keep these posts free of it. Onto the illiteracy!

I have seen a blind-leading-the-blind phenomenon occur when hearing about President Obama’s free community college plan. News publications have discussed disdain for Republicans’ pushback on the issue, but they haven’t been as brazen as the vocal members of their comment boards. Among the left-of-center commentariat has emerged one specific refrain: Republicans don’t want free education because they want to keep the electorate stupid (and therefore voting Republican). Continue reading