I am 27 and have never voted in my life. I know that to many people that means I don’t get to have an opinion. Well I think that is idiotic and now you have to read what I think. I have lived in America my whole life, and while I don’t dislike it, I also don’t like it. I would not say, “I’m proud to be an American”, like every country artist has been since 1984. I have always found the concept of patriotism gross. Being patriotic is just propaganda that our government forces upon each and everyone of us. To me, our “leaders” are just the landlords of where I live. They don’t get to control my mind, body, or the decisions I make. In some ways they could, but that’s only if you do dumb shit. I have no interest in killing anyone or robbing a bank, so the criminal laws don’t weigh on my mind. What does weigh on my mind, is the way we treat each other and how we treat our planet. Don’t get me wrong, I am not some tree hugging hippy, nor am I a gun carrying, flag bearing American. I’m just Troy. And if you looked inside your mind and soul, you would realize that you too are only yourself.
When Muhammed Ali was drafted to go to the Vietnam war, he famously refused, stating, “No Viet Cong ever called me nigger”. While it is harsh language, the message rings true today. Our governments may have issues with other nations, but as people we do not have an inherent problem with “opposing nations” and their people. 9/11 happened when I was 7 years old, and will have a lasting effect on every single American from when it happened until the end of the nation. However, did that attack mean we should hate and ostracize all Arabic people? Of course it doesn’t! Osama Bin Laden was a hunk of shit, someone that every American has a right to despise. But killing people in the middle east who had nothing to do with 9/11 doesn’t solve the issue. Of course it doesn’t. Yet for 20 years our country sent soldiers, people like you and I, into the middle east, to kill people they had no real issue with, all in the pursuit to defend our freedom. It was all bullshit, bullshit that led troops to their death and lined the pockets of the elite. As people, we didn’t vote to enact vengeance through countless bombings on innocent people’s home. It was our governments that had the issue with each other. The people doing the dirty work, they were just people doing what they thought was right, fighting for their nation. And I don’t fault them for that. They were just doing what they were told to do. However, I do fault the governments for putting soldiers and citizens’ lives in danger.
It isn’t easy ruling a nation, I am sure of that. Trying to manage millions of people and make decisions that will keep the engine of the nation running is not something I envy. But what I cannot understand is how it has gone so wrong. Sharing your political beliefs usually results in full blown arguments. How have we reached this point?. Obama never paid my rent. Trump never bought my dinner. Biden never asked me how I was doing. Yet people fight so fervently for these people who don’t even know your name. They don’t even know that you exist! This republican-democrat battle is so bizarre to me, because even if these people want to help you they can’t. And when they try, they fail. Obama got Obamacare up and running, but today it’s nothing like anyone wanted it to be. Trump tried to destroy it and couldn’t. Biden wants to make it better and can’t. Why are these people so great and special to everyone, when they can’t even do their jobs?
I understand, of course, that congress is there to balance out the power of the president. However, since the 90s, a Congress person’s core responsibility seems to have become; do absolutely nothing, block everything that the opposing side proposes, and keep the people voiceless and powerless. I’m sure each representative went in all bright-eyed and bushy tailed, ready to make a difference. Each had things they wanted to accomplish, but were met with opposition regardless of their stance. But I do not idolize these people. I am sure meeting these people one on one, they are kind, charming, and intelligent. Yet when we gather them together in Washington, very little progress is achieved. There must be something that is causing this machine to no longer work. And we need to sort it out soon, because the machine is dying, just like all other machines before it.
In my opinion, it starts with the labels we put on one another. If we as people could strip away some of these imaginary labels that we’ve applied to ourselves and others, we could spend less time endlessly arguing and going to war and spend more time fixing the problems right in front of us. Together. It shouldn’t matter if someone else is gay, or black, or a democrat, or Muslim. Can they teach, lead, or create? Can they make the world a better place? Can they help you and me? This is what needs to be asked.
We let all these outside influences drive us into this nonsensical fear. In the 50’s the fear was communism, and I am willing to bet 90% of Americans today still cannot explain what communism is. Turn on the TV today and you’ll find someone on Fox News telling you Biden is a socialist. Switch to the other channel and Don Lemon is cancelling another celebrity for something they tweeted 5 years ago. All in the effort of exchanging fear for dollars. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense or if you understand the issue fully. The point is to debate at nauseum, draw lines in the sand through labels, and keep us as ignorant and angry as possible. This insanity goes back to the very beginning of America as well. People look back and mock the Salem witch trials and don’t realize we are still playing that same game today. It’s time we drop these silly labels and gross stereotypes and open our eyes to how the world actually is. Human. Just like you and me. It isn’t all that different.
I don’t know what the solution is to the problems America faces. I do know that these problems are solvable. We just need to start listening to each other and working together. Republicans and democrats may hate each other, but we need to be aware that these are just labels. In reality, we are all just people. Whether you’re a gun loving American or tree hugging socialist, the ice caps are still melting and the ozone is depleting. Today it’s republican versus democrats, tomorrow it will be something else. Perhaps China versus America or maybe even people versus aliens. Regardless of what we call it, it’s still division and when we are divided, we are at our most vulnerable. Together, however, we are a powerful force capable of writing the wrongs of our past and creating a better tomorrow.