Politicians Can Shove It

            It’s almost November, and to a lot of people, that means election season. Campaign signs litter front lawns, air-brushed faces of candidates smile smugly down from billboards, and political commercials air every few seconds. What shocks me is how dirty politicians will fight. Take this article about Frank Caprio, a Rhode Island democrat who showed blatant disrespect by telling President Obama to “shove it,” all because Mr. President did not endorse his candidacy.

When most people hear the word “politics,” they probably think of men in pressed business suits and bad toupees, attempting to look dignified while politely arguing with each other from behind a microphone. But times have definitely changed.

Today, we have interesting selection. There’s Christine O’Donnell, who probably spends an equal amount of time bleaching her teeth and trying to convince me that she is, in fact, me. There’s South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, with his Argentinian affair. And of course, there’s the “shove it” guy. Do these politicians have any dignity anymore?

Instead of working to improve their country, or even their community, these leaders spend their time name-calling, lying, arguing, blaming, or buying designer tuxes. They need to get back to the issues, and stop focusing on tearing apart their opponents (or even the president.) That’s just not true leadership.

Tolerance is Love.

    Love, tolerance, acceptance. They’re not hard terms to understand, but for some reason, they seem impossible for our culture to put into action. Hate has become the standard.
    When I saw this online article about Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, I could just feel my heart breaking. This college freshman was full of potential. He was a gifted violinist who had his college career and the rest of his young life ahead of him. But what defined him? Not his musical ability, not his grades, his friends, his personality. No, Tyler was defined by his sexuality. On September 22nd, Tyler ended his life because he felt the violent torment of intolerance.
    Why does our society target people who are different? Why do we name-call, bully, alienate, and estrange? We have forced so many young people who are gay or questioning into the shadows, and make it as difficult as possible for them to have happy, normal lives. They become limited by both social rejection and legal discrimination. But what do we gain from our hate?
    In my opinion, tolerance is a huge step on the road to a convalescent society. Studies have shown that gay or questioning teens are three to four times more likely to commit suicide than others. If we could learn to accept, I believe that those troubled youth may not have to see this world as the cold and uncaring abysm that drives them to suicide. It is imperative that we learn to tolerate. Tolerance is love.