Election Results

The results are in, and they say we are a highly dysfunctional group, as Americans. Of course this is what happens when social media becomes larger than God, when everyone believes their opinion should be paramount, when news media skews their coverage, and when the choices are so polarizing. It’s not even about who wins anymore. It’s about the journey to get here, which has been a study in contrasts.

On one hand there are those who claim they are “staying out of the fray,” who keep posting cat memes (I can haz cheezburger?) and singing Kumbaya. They may or not be political, but they just want everyone to get along so they don’t broadcast their views. They unfollow those who are uber political, but they don’t unfriend them. They’re trying their best just to get through to November 9 unscathed by all the chaos.

Then there are those who thrive on that selfsame chaos, who post and re-post every single shred of evidence that their position is the right one. They constantly respond to every single person who posts more of the same kind of evidence, from all sides. They tell others to vote their conscience but then step onto their bully pulpit to try and shame them to vote against instead of for a candidate.

And the chaos has grown to a fever pitch. The hate mongering comes from all corners, not just from the so-called obvious ones. Lifelong friendships have evaporated, too much for the strain that this election cycle has caused. Fissures have appeared and split people into three completely oppositional camps that cannot be reconciled. It’s a sad actuality, and a poor commentary on what we’ve become as a nation.

No wonder Colin Kaepernick is kneeling during the National Anthem. No wonder so many chafe at the idea of making America great again because they never want to admit that we just aren’t so great right now. This chaos is destroying us from the inside out, and every other country can see it. We are airing our dirty laundry for everyone to examine, and it doesn’t look pretty, believe me.

The results are in, and no one wins.

Sam