Politics Are Complicated, and...

 I'm more and more convinced that politics and political parties are meant to divide us. 

I don't understand anymore, and I've become more of a nihilist. Not to be edgy or unique, but I really, truly, feel like a lot of the future is out of our control. 

Vote conservative, you will probably lose LGBTQ rights, abortion access, your country will march closer and closer to a Theocratic society, where the church holds authority. 

Vote Left, mask mandates and lockdowns, stupidity like "cultural appropriation," extremist concepts like  "gender abolition" will be pushed, even if any of those things make a person unhappy, especially those that don't want their life structured around identity politics. Crime will also go up. 

But the main thing that will happen regardless is, billionaires will get richer, get tax breaks, wars will be funded whether we like it or not. Culture war issues will be inserted into any form of entertainment/escapism to keep us hating each other, distracted, while we wage slave away, instead of having any solid path to doing what would truly fulfill us/make us happy. 

I feel like not voting, not being politically engaged, is self-care at this point. There is almost nothing, that person who isn't a top 1%-er can do to change anything. Unity won't happen. Every 'organized' group splinters, has their own agenda, and as a human species, the hunger for power trait takes over us, like we're ravenous wolves. 

It's better to improve yourselves, do what truly makes you happy. If you are able to, help someone directly. Try to make friends. Try to make memories. It's okay to disconnect/want to escape reality. 

I miss when politics were something people kept to themselves. When someone didn't get their vehicle smashed in for having the wrong bumper sticker. When as long as there was a mutual respect, and "live and let live" agreement, anyone could get along. I loved it when you'd meet someone online and their entire timeline was filled with music they enjoyed, art, fashion, fun things, not political memes. I've been guilty of this. It's time to stop. 

My approach now is to reject any kind of political push. I have my things I care about: I'm pro-LGBTQ, pro womens' reproductive rights, I care about marginalized and underserved communities. Simultaneously, anyone who pushes for mask mandates, says that person can't have a certain hairstyle, clothing, aesthetic, because they're the wrong race, or says that one race is guilty of the sins of their father, is a bully to me, and I despise them just as much as the bigot who calls LGBTQ people a groomer. 

I have found myself blocking political streamers I used to watch, and muting keywords. Hopefully, this blog post is like the last beer before forever going cold turkey, to use alcohol addiction as a synonym.