“The true charm of democracy is not for the democrat but for the spectator.”

– H. L. Mencken, A Short Essay on Democracy (1926)

American society is currently playing a game. There are two teams. They both have their own symbols, jerseys, and chants. Each team has its own players that everybody knows. There are rivalries within the teams and between the teams. Within the teams people will jostle and fight their way into the top position and into being team captain. Once on the field, the two teams face off against each other. Matches are scheduled very regularly and it is hard to say which team is better than the other. Some seasons the one team is better, the next season the other. Matches are streamed regularly and seen everywhere, results are shared instantly and everyone loves to talk about it at work the next day. People will meet to watch the games or even just to talk about past or future matches. The players on each team are very important, people will spend hours looking into the people they like and want to see get promoted. They will spend even more time looking at the other team to try and find out their weaknesses and faults. Some games are niche and are only followed by the committed. This game is very different, it demands one’s total attention, regardless of how committed one is or not. It sucks the soul in and will not let go. People build their identities, personalities, and entire lives around this game. The teams each have their own colors too. The red team and blue team, conservative and liberal, Republicans and Democrats.

Everybody knows that politics and elections are the things that steer the ship. This country is heading in the wrong direction, and only the voter can do anything about it. Certainly nobody else is responsible. It would be irresponsible to ignore the democratic and citizen’s duty to go out to the polls. So vote, go out and vote! Don’t let the other team win, every vote counts. Go vote!

It is well known that the next election is the most important election ever. If every single person from the right team doesn’t go out and pencil in the bubble for the team captain, literally the whole world is going to end. Obviously one side is great and righteous and the other side is evil and demonic. Everyone who seriously thinks that it is acceptable to vote for the other color is a literal [REDACTED]. Not only does every person on the team need to vote, but everyone also needs to buy the right jerseys and merchandise. Make sure to donate to the cause and to post as many things on social media as possible. If friends and family don’t know that one supports the right team, then how will one display their identity?

To be a good team player, one has to make sure to only associate with members of the same team. It would be treason and unthinkable to try and talk with the other side. They are the enemies after all. Friends and family be damned. The current issues are too important to ignore and if siblings or cousins can’t be convinced, then block them. They are on the wrong side of history and they are actually really dumb for supporting the evil team. Politics is way more important than interpersonal relationships or flesh and blood. What a silly idea to think that things like relatives and friendships are more important than the future of the country. Everyone has the responsibility to be a team player.

The whole thing would be laughable, if it wasn’t so devastating.

21st century politics in the United States of America cannot be described as anything else but a game. A very twisted game. Debate stages are the arenas and presidents are the team captains. Every two years there even gets to be another showdown, where the best from each team get to come together and sock each other in the face. Maybe democracy and politics have always been like this? Since the time of the Athenian democracy, maybe politics and in particular democratic politics leads to it being treated like a sporting event. Or maybe not, maybe this has been a disastrous development that is going to lead to a national suicide. Time will tell, but how the average American engages with politics is not healthy, and it appears to only be getting worse.

Some people like to obsess over football, baseball, or soccer. While there certainly are people addicted to sports and all its related endeavours, it is usually easy enough to notice when somebody is addicted, and to gently recommend they live their lives a bit more. Politics is different though. The societal obsession with politics has been slow and gradual, it is the frog being boiled alive very slowly. That, and politics is actually important, so the story goes. Obviously, this is true to some extent. It isn’t a trivial matter to get the right to vote, as this was not the norm throughout human history. To be a good citizen, one should actually be informed and educated about the issues. Living in a democracy and having the right to vote for representatives, measures, taxes, and referendums is a responsibility. In modern America, it seems like all the wrong aspects are being focused on.

Local politics is approachable and actually important. Local elections focus on roads, schools, and services. The people running are those who live nearby and are also probably known by the community. These races are important to at least be informed about, and they even provide a lot of benefit by being participating in. Is this what people focus on? No, of course not. The largest voter turnout is always for federal elections. People care about the big and flashy elections for president and for the 535 seats in congress. Even though, the impact from what happens in Washington is actually incredibly minimal. It takes years for federal decisions to trickle down to local communities and it is usually quite arduous to make any big decisions. If anything monumental is done, this usually means approval by the congress, president, and supreme court, which is a good sign of national unity. Whereas all of the contentious and executive order decrees are barely worth the paper they are written on. They can be shredded the moment the other party gets back into power. Which they will, by the way. The other party always gets back into power. No matter what waves or social media trends the country finds itself in at the moment, a party may do well for a while, but the other will always get back into power and vice versa.

Donald Trump, Joe Biden, JD Vance, Kamala Harris, and any other figure worth mentioning does not know that the reader exists. And quite frankly, they couldn’t care less about the reader’s existence either. These are people who exist at the very top of a very well funded form of bread and circuses. Either side of the aisle are people who went to the same schools and live in the same neighborhoods. It is all just a show and they couldn’t care less about the average person. However, each party has its own rabid fan base that likes to spin up its supporters into a frenzy and convince them that each election is the most important election ever. It wasn’t true for the last election, and it won’t be true in the future either.

Things have become so bad that people are actually getting shot for their opinions and others are advocating for violence and celebrating the death of people from the other side. What is going on? Does this sound reasonable in any context? Should any person celebrate the death of another person? It is horrid. People should not be executed for opinions and advocating for any type of violence against anyone else for something as trivial as what color party they are is entirely wicked. Frankly, both sides are guilty of this. Democrats and Republicans both like to say that the end of the world is near and that the other party can’t be trusted at all, no matter what. Many people have thrown away friendships and have blocked family members over political trends. Donald Trump says something, and all of a sudden friendships are being destroyed based on whether someone agrees or not. It is ridiculous and parasocial. It is obviously absurd and childish when somebody hates another because of their love of a professional sports team, and yet this is acceptable? It is a bit much if a Green Bay Packers fan won’t talk to a Minnesota Vikings fan, but if a Democrat won’t talk to a Republican it is somehow fine? This is simply toxic.

People’s whole personalities and identities are now political. For example, some will make it a point to flaunt their GOP or Dem merch. As a sports fan wears the jersey, a Republican will wear a Trump hat to show who they like. Conservatives will march into left-leaning spaces to try and be provocative just for the sake of being a jerk. Likewise, liberals will force some church or school to support something they don’t believe in just for kicks and giggles. Nobody is innocent here, and the amount of tolerance has been waning dramatically over the past few decades. Even within the same team, Republicans will hate on other Republicans for not being team players and for not believing in the message. Democrats will do the exact same. It would be one thing if it was party officials or online personalities, but it isn’t. Friends are trying to convince other friends to support the party harder and to support the right side no matter what. Not nuance is allowed and no dissension either.

Young people spend countless hours online each day. It is often some type of slop or braindead content. Some fall down the political bubble and consume just purified hate. People fall down rabbit holes and it pulls them deeper and deeper. Twitter/X has become a particularly dark and hateful place where the worst of the right-wing fester. The amount of hate against different groups of people is appalling. Red pill content and hatred of women is growing too. The average post talking about women on Twitter/X has nothing to do with how women are in real life. On balance, the left-wing is no better. On Reddit and their own self made echo chamber Bluesky, they don’t have even the slightest clue what those on the right actually believe. And honestly, they don’t have any interest in figuring it out either. Each side gives forth its drivel, shouts names at the other side, then retreats to its own echo chamber.

Now, to be fair, there is an importance to true politics. A country’s positions on climate change, migration, foreign policy, industry, AI, and so on are important. The United States as well as the entirety of the Western world is facing some very serious issues in the modern day. It would be wrong to say that the answer is to give up and retire as far away from civilization as possible. Experts, politicians, and those with influence are going to need to figure these issues out. However, the average person needs to really chill out. If one has no influence, then it really isn’t that important. If families and friendships are breaking apart due to opinions on the current thing, then there is a huge problem there. Society can only function when the demos are present. Splitting into bubbles and letting hatred fester is how society dies. Local politics are a worthwhile endeavor to engage in, and if someone feels strongly to get involved and do something, then power to them. But if politics just means to consume content, learn the talking points, insult others, and grow to hate everything, then stop. This is not healthy, this is not good. This behavior needs to stop, it really isn’t that deep.

Plus, the pigeonholing of people into two teams is ineffective. Just because someone believes in climate change and investing in green energy, doesn’t mean that they are a socialist. Likewise, just because somebody values fiscal responsibility and lowering taxes, doesn’t mean that they support giving the military more money for more wars in the Middle East. People are complicated, Americans maybe more than most. How many people’s views are complicated and not consistent with one party? Probably everyone. It has become a great heresy to not agree with the red party or the blue party on every particular issue under the sun. But this isn’t realist and it isn’t human. It would be much better if everyone was able to say what they want about everything, without worrying whether they will be shunned or not. There should be Evangelical Democrats and Progressive Republicans. People should be able to mix their views and vote depending on what the most important issue for the moment is. No group should be forced into one party and nonpartisan cooperation and dialog should be the norm.

Politics has become poisonous and parasocial. Politics has become everyone’s hobby and it will only get better when people stop treating it like a hobby. Sure, there are real issues out there that need to be addressed, but the average person never had anything to do with the problem in the first place, and they won’t be part of the solution either. If politics leads relationships to break down, then it is the politics that should be set aside. The best part is this; the Christian not only believes but knows that Jesus is already king of all of creation. The world will keep on spinning and Christ will keep on winning, no matter who wins the next most important election ever, or the one after that.

Quid ad nos?

“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” – Colossians 3:13 (ESV)

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2 (ESV)

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” – Proverbs 14:34 (ESV)