Can elections be over yet?

[eruaphadriel_]

Yay it's my favorite time ever...election season! *said with dripping sarcasm* It's the time when my facebook wall is filled not with the happy or frustrated snippets of my family and friends' more monotonous (though endearing) parts of life, but rather with negativity and hatred personified as people bash and slander everyone who disagrees with

Comments

[jenjaina]

I read this really interesting book last year, "You Are Not So Smart" that talks about a bunch of different psychological things humans do, and so many of them related to politics. Like only reading/listening to sources that confirm your opinions, the need to belong to a 'tribe' and vigorously defend whatever they do and attack whatever the other 'tribe' does, or thinking that you have it all figured out and if the other side could only just really listen to all your evidence, they would change their minds. (Reading the book is humbling as one recognizes her own behavior!) I guess the point of this comment is to say that unfortunately a lot of it is human nature.

But as to your own frustration, you could select the worst offenders and have it show Important Updates only, or something, until November is over.

[cosmic_reverie]

Oh Jenni, you're still on LJ! I actually droppped your journal in my last purge because I thought you were inactive.

The tribe mentality sounds like the group-think that I am naturally disgusted by. People have brains for a reason!

[eruaphadriel_]

"Like only reading/listening to sources that confirm your opinions

[cosmic_reverie]

Fun fun. Sounds like you and I have been going through similar frustrations. Although with politics, I tend to roll my eyes and ignore other people's ignorance and rudeness. It's very hard to do, especially in person, but we have to be the bigger people and not sink down to their level. You are so right about not having room for negativity in your life. You can't control other people, but you can control your reactions to them.