You know, I can�t Think of a more negatively-driven field than politics. It�s gotten to the point where I Can�t have Any sort of political discussion any more, and not because I disagree with what people are saying, but because when people begin discussing politics, THE most ridiculous shit starts pouring out of their mouths almost instantly.

Political dogma is driven largely by demonization of the alternate viewpoint. Most political thought in this country is obviously bipolar, given the whole Democrat/Republican Liberal/Conservative duality. This seems to cause people to oversimplify problems drastically. For instance, many people right of center LOVE to blame �the liberals� for seemingly Everything under the sun.

Most people�s political viewpoints are driven by negative emotions as well. People tend to align themselves based on what they Don�t like, develop what seem to be rather arbitrary biases that serve as excellent filters for any data they take then, and then make silly, rash arguments � under the guise of reasoned, informed opinions -- blaming the �other guys� for everything that�s wrong. Seriously, take a listen as a bystander to a political discussion sometime, this is the path they usually follow.

To avoid hypocrisy, I should probably point out at this time what seems to drive my political thinking. To put it simply, I Hate the religious right, the conservative Christians� whatever the fuck you want to call them. It is a simple, undeniable fact that the Republican party houses these whackos, ergo I usually vote Democrat. I don�t consider myself a Democrat, largely because I hate politics and the insufficient two-party system, but also because I honestly don�t agree with a lot of �liberal� views.

Of course, therein lies another problem. �Liberal� and Conservative� are little more than labels, more than anything I think they have become clich�s. The don�t seem to Mean anything any more, and it is again an oversimplification derived from the �blame game� that drives political debate. What exactly the hell are you referring to when you say �liberal� or �conservative?� Socially? Financially? I know people who I would consider �conservative� socially, yet �liberal� politically, and vice-versa� and then who knows where finances fit in. Both parties are adept at wasting money, and of course yelling that it�s the other side�s fault (we all have become all too familiar with the �tax and spend liberal� term!)

This is all why I have come to believe that politics are a trap. You end up just getting all irritated about nothing, coming to no decent conclusions, making no sound arguments, and pointing fingers. There are plenty of other things to cause aggravation, I don�t need that.