Politically Incorrect? Good.

I have a confession to make...I'm a faker. Anytime I'm in a discussion with a friend about politics, I'm shooting from the hip.

Truth is, I know nothing about government. And I'm very grateful for that.

Many of my friends spend a considerable portion of their free time reading this magazine or that, and learning where our various leaders stand on certain issues. Many of these friends, whether they mean to or not, look down upon those of us who choose not to stay up on the political landscape of our country. If I were to tell many of my friends that I don't know the first point of debate on the current healthcare bill, they would look at me like I just sprouted a third arm. But truth is, I know very little about this bill (and, as far as I know, my arm count remains at two.)

So the question is: why? Why do I ignore such a huge portion of modern culture? And the answer is easy for me. I think it's pointless. Now, before you get defensive, please don't read too much into that. I don't believe that politics, as a whole, are pointless. I just think that listening to politicians, and reading articles, and following debates is pointless. Furthermore, I think listening to TOO much political talk actually hurts you more than it helps. Let me explain.

I have friends on varying levels of political know-how, and I've noticed a trend developing. The friends who are more knowledgeable of the political landscape become increasingly good at categorization. This idea is too liberal, that idea is too conservative. The other idea is socialist, and that's terrible. It appears that good political debaters are nothing more than good categorizers. Once they become good enough, they get an idea of where they should categorize themselves...and that's where the problems start.

Because once you've placed yourself in box, you find it difficult to think outside of it. Any new decision that is placed in front of you is now seen only through the lens of your box, and you follow your box's leaders wherever they may take you. The danger here is obvious: by categorizing yourself as a member of a certain box, you automatically give up some of your right to form an opinion, even if it's at an unconscious level.

I don't like that. I prefer my opinions come from my very own mix of heartfelt morality and logical reasoning. And I have found that my views hardly ever fit into one nice, neat box. But that's good, because I can peek into other boxes and see if I like them better..and all without fearing that I will anger someone back in my box. And while it may be far-fetched, I like to think that if our elected leaders subscribed to that philosophy, rather than concerning themselves about how their choices will please the members of their box, we could solve a lot of our problems a LOT quicker.