November 2022 is midterms in the US, so this is a reminder to be on the lookout for overly general political posts NOW. Posts like “all liberals hate [group] so they do [bad thing]” are a transparent effort to discourage people who lean liberal from voting.
If a post makes you angry, you stop using the critical part of your brain. That means you won’t ask questions like, “Is this generalization really true? Why did this person write this post? Are they encouraging me to advocate for changes, or do they want me to give up?”
Feeling uninspired about national elections? Start local! Find out if your city and county have bills on the table to make your electric grid greener, give more funding to public transit and libraries, and provide mental health and supportive services to those who are houseless.
Then find out if your state is making an effort to protect the employment rights of the LGBTQ+ community, give people access to abortions, and enact responsible gun laws. The more you look into these issues, the more you’ll find that laws trickle down. What happens at the national level affects what your state does; what your state does affects what your county can do; what your county does affects your city or hometown. Do your research ahead of time. Know where the politicians on all the ballots stand on the issues you care about. And then make a plan to vote.
Given [gestures at the state of the world], I’m most concerned about apathy in the upcoming election. Is it infuriating to vote and vote and not see the results you want? Yes. But I can assure you that doing nothing will change nothing. Find the things you care about and focus on them. Let’s make some changes.
