I have a strong stomach. Only a handful of things consistently turn my stomach contents into a downtown sidewalk display: catching a ride post- or mid-drinkathon, all songs Nickelback and when, like, people, like, say "like" all the time. Other than those three things, I rarely get to taste my stomach acid.
Lately, though, I've recognized a trend starting to give me the cold sweats that have always foreshadowed the aforementioned unhappy time. Words like "taxes," "bailout," "aid" and "bonuses" have flooded print headlines and TV top stories. These words too frequently lead to arguments about the overall effectiveness - or lack thereof - of President Barack Obama's policies. At this stage, I'm not quite ready to let the chunks fly because honest debate can present previously unconsidered opinions. My beef arises when the argument devolves from honest debate to senseless brand loyalty.
"George W. Bush is to blame for the failing economy," whines the aging, liberal, hippie douche. "He made us fight a war that sent us all to the poor house."
"Nuh uh," retorts the pissed off, redneck conservative. "You damn Democrats just keep spending and spending. Obama's stupid bailout is only going to make things worse."
"I'm still not really sure," mumbles the spineless Independent.
From this point on, each combatant returns to the comfort of his respective political corner. The argument goes on for a while as each fighter simply parrots the words of those standing behind him.
Solid work, fellas. You've talked each other out of compromising in any way and effectively killed off any hope for a sensible agreement. At least you can go home and brag to your ladies about how you held your ground against that sissy tree-hugger or the greedy Nazi.
How far we've come in the past 233 years.
Political parties were not the intention of the founding fathers, and the above hypothetical situation shows why. Competing factions help express a few views, but the larger they get, the more divisive they become. Nevertheless, political parties are necessary evils. They garner support for candidates for offices at all levels of government, and they help educate otherwise-uninformed voters. Unfortunately, there's always an agenda. Nothing is unbiased. Ever.
What we all need to realize is the closer we cling to our preferred political party, the farther we get from ourselves. Rather than compromising with our opposition to achieve a reasonable outcome, we slight our personal ideals by bending to meet the party norm.
Guys like Rush Limbaugh and Jon Stewart contribute to the political polarization of society. Limbaugh says the word "liberal" like anyone else would say "pedophile". These guys peddle exaggeration and entertainment as if it were governmental action, and it works because we're largely an instant-gratification society that prefers to be told what to do.
We're privileged enough to be able to support whatever whack job we deem the man for the job, and party should not be as important as policy. Both parties are conniving organizations that can do good or evil, so define yourself as a voter, not as a Republican or Democrat.
Adam Wynn is a journalism senior. His column appears on Fridays.
