We Asked for an Election Like This ...

Many people are sick and tired of the circus this election has become that has pitted a misogynistic narcissist against a lackluster, robotic insider with a history of manipulation and dishonesty. Never have we seen such hated candidates offer us so little in the way of hope for the future. Many on both sides of the political spectrum blame the media for this travesty, but is that really fair? Maybe we should look in the mirror first.

The media is the product of those who pay attention to it. Outlets are driven by ratings, readership and profit. Like any business, they dish out what sells, and it isn’t policy and objective journalism any more. We, as a people, have made these things a social faux pas, and, as a result, have become an uninformed electorate clinging to reality-tv type drama at the expense of actual honest campaign coverage. As an added bonus, factual accuracy and integrity are considered to be nothing more than unnecessary hindrances distracting us from the insults and outright lies that plague our political discourse. Candidates are willing and able to tout factual manipulation and dishonesty while we willingly slurp it up.

First, there’s “the Donald”. Not only does he consistently demonstrate his incredibly thin-skin and abysmal Temperament; he bases his qualification for national leadership on outlandish, unsubstantiated claims of a southern border wall built at the expense of Mexico, the repeal of international trade-deals like NAFTA and the FTA, and a tax-plan that will help the already wealthy while adding trillions to the national debt. And then there’s Hillary; a dishonest, robotic political insider who has based her entire campaign on pointing out the obvious flaws of her opponent.

How has it come to this? To start with, we often run away from political discussion in the home and with friends, understandably fearful of the awkwardness and hate that comes along with it. As a result, we, as an electorate, are mostly ill-informed, as substantive facts and policy aren’t interesting to us anymore. And, the media knows it. They understand that they are going to get higher ratings with smears, insults, and innuendo because their viewers at least understand those things. We are a fast-paced, multitasking, and politically correct bunch who often work too hard, unable to expand our attention to absorb substance for long periods of time. So, don’t blame the media … they serve us trash because we will actually eat it.