I don’t really mind all the commercials; political ads provide a fascinating study in propaganda. The hilariously nutty way campaigns distort the truth in attack ads is so brazen and shameless that it’s actually entertaining.
The news coverage? That doesn’t really trouble me, either; just because there are 24-hour news channels doesn’t mean you’re supposed to watch them for 24-hours at a time. Turn it off if you don’t like it.
But what I’ve really had enough of is Facebook.
The best way to describe why I’m so annoyed is to to paraphrase Ebert’s Law, which goes, “A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it.”
As for Facebook and politics, this is not about what my friends think, it’s about how they think about what they think.
I don’t give a hoot if you support for Obama, Romney, or Gary Johnson… I respect your opinion, just spare me the overheated sound bite nonsense fed to you by Fox News or MSNBC. And if you’re posting something that implies those who support the other guy are stupid, maybe your “friends” won’t appreciate that.
If you’re really interested in what this stuff does to people, listen to This American Life’s recent show, Red State Blue State. Social media is bound to be the next thing that bitterly divides us.
So, what will people do after Election Day? My guess is they will spend the next four years complaining about whoever wins. And it will probably begin on Wednesday morning.
Amen, brother. It’s amazing how short my Facebook (& Twitter) feed is since any sort of political reference.