Biden this, Trump that, DeSantis whatever – wherever we look, we are inundated with eye-catching, dread-inducing news about major party players. But what function does this time-consuming news cycle really serve in our political lives? I’ll tell you: It keeps us distracted, overwhelmed, and despairing such that we don’t engage with local issues, which by the way, I also don’t know anything at all about.
When it comes top news about “2024 election predictions” or “Congress”, I make a conscientious decision to save my time and energy. Presidential election cycles are overhyped and drawn out intentionally, and the goal behind this design is to a) burn citizens out on the news and b) overemphasize the significance of the presidency so people can feel they’ve done their political duty just by turning out to the polls. But what about what’s going on in your own neighborhood? What about gerrymandering? What about the issues plaguing our public-school systems? Seriously — what’s the deal with all of that? Personally, I don’t know. I tried to google it once but it was just, like, a lot.
Maybe I’m crazy, but I think staying up to date on who’s running for “Governor” of a “state” (which I don’t do) is perhaps a little less meaningful than, let’s say, grassroots organizing, which to be clear, I also do not do.
A lot of people may ask me: If you feel so strongly, why don’t you do anything or inform yourself on the things that you believe to be deeply important? And the first thing I’ll say is that it sounds like the Political Circus rolled into town and brainwashed the fuck out of you. But to answer your question: idk. I guess I just know I’m right that the local stuff is actually more important, and that knowledge alone makes me feel like I can check out on what’s going at the state and federal level and feel not only fine about it, but actually superior also.
Ultimately, it’s easy to get caught up in the viral Twitter clips, Biden faux pas, and global rising fascism of it all, but I myself have managed to abstain. Heed my words: That bullshit is all a malignant distraction, and what it’s distracting from? Well, really bad stuff. Again, I am not sure exactly. Viva la revolución!
