Getting angry . . . for the wrong reasons

thank you abcnews.go.com

The RNC came and went in a flash of lightning, didn't it?  I've just spent the last twelve hours or so procrastinating instead of unpacking and catching up.  First, there was that hurricane, then Ann Romney and Chris Christie talked about how much the GOP totally loves women, then Clint Eastwood totally upstaged Mitt Romney (which was probably the point, now that I think about it).

Of course, the national conventions do nothing if to further polarize Democrats and Republicans.  The POINT is that they are unabashedly partisan and utterly lacking in a substantive political conversation.

And of course, there has been quite an uproar from my news feed, which I imagine as a single, many-headed entity that breathes fire at even the most innocuously-stated right-wing politics.  Unfortunately, social media is not structured to generate brilliant political dialogues.  There's only so much you can say in 140 characters, and with as many people reading it as possible, it had better be snappy and/or funny. And by now, I expect most people are browsing with the awesome/evil Google Chrome, trying to show me as many things that I like as possible.

Look, I can't point my finger at the naysayers, as I have definitely been guilty of taking cheap shots.  Sometimes, it's so satisfying.  And it's easy.

But it's important not to channel that anger into your pithy, brilliant tweet with the widest possible appeal.

Guys, STOP being angry at Chris Christie for being fat.  We ALREADY KNOW that he is fat.

credit jerseynut.blogspot.com

I should note that as far as today's GOP goes, Christie is a moderate.  He supports civil unions and believes that non-violent drug users should be sent to therapy rather than jail.  He has created some incentives to support local manufacturing  of sustainable energy.

Instead, maybe you'll be angry for his propaganda-style portrait of the current administration's policies at his RNC speech.  For at his relentless attacks on unions.  Or joining the rhetoric on "American exceptionalism" and for spewing misleading information about New Jersey's budget.

Exercise your democratic rights and educate yourself.  You're going to vote for Barack Obama, but what don't you like about him?  Where doesn't he go far enough?

It's hard.  Not every one can know everything about everything.  And you don't have to.

But if you scoff at the RNC because Clint Eastwood performed a shtick with a chair and Chris Christie is fat, and therefore scary/ lazy/ a bad example/ any other uninformed conclusion, you clearly know nothing.