More or Less Why I’ve Been AWOL
I’ve spent the last few days in a political haze. I’ve been researching, and arguing, and combating, and it’s absolutely exhausting. I’ve realized in the last year how confrontational I am on the internet with people who believe in one of two things:
a) People who believe that climate change isn’t occurring, or, if it is, that it isn’t the fault of humans.
or, b) People who believe that the gun control movement is a fraud run by people of my generation, who are generalized as lazy, whiny, and unintelligent.
And the thing is that everyone is allowed to their own opinion, but if that opinion is based in a lie, and the people who believe these things are content in their willful ignorance, then we are in deep sh*t and we should confront that.
Another thing that I have realized as of late is that sometimes when you spew facts at these very people, they resort to calling you a c*nt and complain that you’re virtually sucking David Hogg’s penis by supporting him, and say that your generation wouldn’t know how to start a lawn mower (which I don’t, but we’re supporting an ex-felon by paying him to do our lawn for us, so I don’t feel bad about that.)
Overall: I’m back, and I have a message. Keep your cool when you are around people like this, regardless on where you stand on the political spectrum. Do your research from several different news sources before you finalize your opinion. Stop listening to Fox and Friends. Stop listening to Tomi Lahren. Stop listening to Alex Jones. Realize that CNN and MSNBC is biased as well. This isn’t always bad, and not because they’re right in their bias, but because it is a perspective that reflects a group of people. Fox News makes me want to vomit on a regular basis with their shutting down of people who think differently than they do, but I can’t think of another right-wing news station at the moment. NPR’s hourly briefings are cut and dry facts without opinions, and I create my own opinion based on those briefings before I listen to other news to solidify my opinions. And again. Do. Your. Research. If someone is telling you something that sounds questionable, Google it and figure out for yourself. This random man on Instagram told me the other day that David Hogg wasn’t at school during the Parkland shooting, and it took me .6 seconds to figure out that that is a hoax CBS spewed by cutting up his interview to make it look like he said that he wasn’t there during the shooting. Don’t let people walk all over you. Tell them what you know, and maybe they won’t listen, but other people will.
As always, love yourself. Love others. Be kind.
-Naomi.
