Shallow Politics = Deep Trouble
Why Americans must stop engaging in politically shallow discource.
When I look at contemporary American society, it is apparent that we are in a state of snowballing decline. Prices for just about everything keep rising. Healthcare and a college education are unaffordable. Wages for the average American are offensively inadequate. And as bad as these issues are, they are exacerbated by elected officials who not only fail at solving problems, but consistently make things worse. I admit that confronting these issues may seem overwhelming at times, but Americans are inherently tough and I do have confidence that it’s still possible to right the ship in a manner that all citizens can generally support. However, if we are to fix these massive problems before it is too late, it is imperative for Americans to stay focused and appropriately engaged. This brings me to the subject of this article: Shallow Political Discource.
“Shallow Political Discource” occurs when intelligent, politically engaged Americans waste valuable time and opportunities discussing “shallow” political happenings instead of remaining laser focused on the serious problems that are destroying our country.
A textbook example of “shallow political discource” is the Republicans inane outrage over Senator Fetterman’s wardrobe.
In my opinion, leaders are best off with a business casual personal dress code. It’s professional, indicative of a clear mind and tends to instill confidence with the widest range of constituents. That said, this is just my opinion and I’m also acutely aware that America is a country founded on the premise of individual life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Regardless of the veracity of my personal opinion, I do not feel that I have a legitimate right to control what another elected official wears, assuming that all sensitive parts of one’s anatomy are covered. A leader should be free to dress as he or she see’s fit. If constituents are offended by what the elected official wears, they will vote that person out of office. And so long as I keep my nose to the grindstone, no leader’s wardrobe will ever represent or define me.
It is important to remember that an elected official is tasked with representing your interests by understanding a never-ending array of issues and then casting smart votes or creating legislation. This is unbelievably difficult and requires the leader to remain free from distraction. If Senator Fetterman finds it easier to do his job when dressed like a comfortable shlub, nobody should interfere with his ability to do his best on behalf of the people.
When all is said and done, the only thing that actually matters is a leader’s policy positions and the way he/she votes. And Republicans who suggest otherwise are quite frankly, hypocrites.
Consider this: If Senator Fetterman was a gun-toting, America First veteran who supported fracking and had “Build The Wall” tattooed on his forearm, 95% of Republicans wouldn’t care about his wardrobe. If anything, they would put him on a pedestal as a populist and true man of the people who dressed like his constituents and was therefore trustworthy to drain the swamp. With the exception of a few miserable Bush era country club elites, Fetterman would be given a pass because positions and votes are ultimately what dictates how a leader is judged.
Unfortunately, this sort of shallow political discource isn’t limited to the Republicans or Senator Fetterman’s wardrobe. It is also rampant on the other side of the aisle as can be seen in the hoopla being made by Democrats over Congresswoman Boebert's recent behavior at a musical rendition of Beetlejuice at a Denver theater.
For the record, I do not think Boebert’s antics were appropriate or something that I would want my daughter to emulate. It was by definition lewd behavior. That said, I’m responsible and focused on solving actual problems and can therefore separate a grown woman’s consentual actions in her personal life from her ability to vote and govern on behalf of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional district. In terms of effectuating change for the people, the only thing that actually matters are her policy positions and votes. And just as Republicans are hypocrites on the issue of Senator Fetterman’s attire, Democrats are equally absurd taking pot-shots at Congresswoman Boebert.
The truth is if Lauren Boebert was a pro Trans, anti oil, full term abortion advocate who was dead set on banning assault weapons and an ardent supporter of vaccine mandates, Democrats would love her and uniformly come to her defense over the theater incident. We would be lectured about how Congresswoman Boebert is a free woman who can do what she pleases and everyone who disagrees is guilty of slut shaming. Moreover, Democrats would claim anyone who takes issue with her actions is misogynistic and somehow against a woman’s right to choose. Once again, a leader’s votes and policy positions are what ultimately dictates support and the shallow political discource stemming from Boebert’s incident is nothing more than nonsense political gossip.
With both Senator Fetterman and Congresswoman Boebert, intelligent actively engaged Americans have somehow lost focus on the issues that really matter and are instead debating and pontificating about drivel. As I’ve demonstrated, these issues are so irrelevant that the people currently spouting faux outrage would do a complete 180 turn and defend the person they currently scorn if Fetterman or Boebert changed their positions in the manner described above. Yet somehow here we are with a country full of debilitating problems and we instead spend time worrying about this bullshit.
As if this isn’t bad enough, we now have actual Senators buying into these shallow political storylines. With an unbalanced budget, an invasion on our Southern border and crime waves hitting our biggest cities, federal elected officials are scheduling meetings to discuss Senator Fetterman’s attire. And in a rare bipartisan show of solidarity, Republican Senator Ron Johnson is letting the public know that he supports Democrat Joe Manchin’s plan to reign in Senator Fetterman’s clothing. These Senators didn’t team up for the people or to solve a problem facing their constituents. They came together in a combined effort to make a colleague wear a suit and tie.
This sort of DC problem solving couldn’t be more out of touch with the needs of struggling Americans and is why the electorate feels so betrayed by their leaders.
And it doesn’t even stop there.
Senator Fetterman, of all people, used his social media communication platform this week not to fix an urgent issue or make an American’s life a bit better, but instead to weigh in on Congresswoman Boebert’s irrelevant incident and did so in a way that was arguably as crude as Boeberts antics that he was referencing.
Senator Fetterman tweeted:
“I figure if I take up vaping and grab the hog during a live musical, they’ll make me a folk hero.”
Americans and our elected officials need to snap out of this shallow political discource asap!
For crying out loud, the drugs that are being smuggled over the border by illegal aliens alone are killing more than 100,000 Americans per year. Moreover, we are adding millions of needy people to a nation that can’t even find a way to afford taking care of the citizens it already has. Our system is so messed up that when a historical tragedy occurs such as the recent deadly fires in Maui, we leave those good people stranded and instead send tens of billions of unaudited funds to Ukraine to perpetuate an unwinnable proxy war. These issues mentioned are the miniscule ‘tip of the iceberg’ and we, as a nation, need all hands on deck in order to fix all the problems we face.
Sadly, Americans have allowed themselves to be derailed and instead focus on shallow political discource at the worst possible moments. If we can’t free ourselves from this immature mindset, we will not be able to fix America and the death of the greatest nation in history will be our fault. The problems we face are too large, too complex and too time sensitive to worry about the mundane and trivial.
We must remember that when drowning in deep water, you don’t concern yourself with irrelevant happenings in the “shallow” end of the pool.
Contact Jon Kurpis
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