The Dreadful Season: 5 ways the Presidential elections and Olympics bring out the worst in people

It’s been a scorching hot summer, and I am not just talking about temperatures. I have been watching more network television than usual because of the Summer Olympics. Since I don’t usually watch network shows, I am not used to seeing all the “commercials”. All I can say is how disgusted and sickened I am by what I am seeing and hearing.

As I have stated ad nauseum, I don’t get into partisan politics. I don’t discuss candidates or parties. I will touch on issues, but only in a very general sense. People who know me very well can attest to my passionate feelings on many issues, but for many good and sound reasons, I am not willing to put all my political opinions out on public display. I wish some of my friends would follow suit.

 I am becoming overwhelmed on the social media sites, mostly facebook, and the ENDLESS litany of political statements, opinions, and rants. Every now and then would be sufficient. MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY is rude, overbearing, and arrogant; and assumes that all their friends agree with them and want to share their beliefs. The same goes for people who are constantly posting about religion. Less really is more. Keep it for church.

 I consider myself a moderate, but my very conservative friends think I am a liberal, and my very liberal friends think I am a conservative- so I generally annoy most people. That’s too bad, but I am not going to lose sleep over it. I have an open mind and respect anyone’s right to disagree with me. Sadly, in the times in which we are living, respect, tolerance, decency, and kindness are in short supply.

And speaking of a lack of respect and decency- How about those Olympics? Wow, just when you think you’ve seen and heard it all, “how low can you go?” takes on a whole new meaning.  Between the arguing over whose uniform is more patriotic, and whose hair is too nappy, my head is about to explode from all the shrill and caustic remarks. IS THERE A SHRED OF DECENCY LEFT IN THE WORLD? It is getting harder and harder to find it.

Sometimes I think we are at an all time low when it comes to vicious talk and shallow values. Reality television captures the grossest and most vile aspects of our culture. Greedy, vain, haughty and grandiose people seem to be in the majority. And I am not talking about class and wealth.

From my view, there are just as many nasty poor people as there are rich people.  The level of crassness and nasty comments about one gymnast’s hair, from people who share her ethnic background and gender, was enough to make me vomit.  Everything wrong in the world can’t be laid at the feet of rich, white, men. Sorry, that’s just too easy. There is enough wrong, blame, racism, classism, and meanness for every religion, race, gender, and socio-economic group to go around. NO ONE is blameless! 

WHY? Because we have become a nation of shallow, lazy, critical, haters. It seeps into every crevice of society.

I have compiled a list of 5 awful examples of recent nasty and vicious behavior during of the DREADFUL SEASON of upcoming elections and Summer Olympics (AND hyperlinked them to some articles which speak to the topic at greater length):

1. Truly shallow and hateful statements about certain athlete’s bodies, hair, and other inane information.

2. The endless, unceasing, vitriol from both parties about both candidates. It just goes on and on and on. If they are trying to outdo the other with over-the-top meanness and creepy innuendo, they have succeeded. I have had my fill. It is discouraging and demoralizing. The whole world is commenting on it!

3. I am terrified of the extremists and the deafening screaming from far wingnuts on both sides. Extremism will destroy our country. We have to find a more centrist, tolerant, and sensible middle ground. The First Amendment is a beautiful thing and God bless it, but we have to figure out a way to keep the crazy from overwhelming the airwaves!

4. The Olympics is supposed to be a time for peopleall over the world to watch athletes from different countries compete againstone another. It should be a time to have national pride in the athletes andtheir amazing abilities. When we start cutting up our own athletes because of their appearance or if someone makes comments about their lack of national pride, we are becoming uglier and nastier by the minute. WHAT KIND OF PERSON criticizes a young girl’s hair while she is competing in the OLYMPIC GAMES???!!! Obviously a very bitter, shallow, empty sort of person. And to be even more cruel, to put it out in a social media platform for the ENTIRE WORLD to see. It leaves me sick to my stomach and wondering what has become of us.

5. And last, but not least, when POLITICS gets intertwined in the Olympics- nothing good can come from it. Sports shouldn’t be political. Remember what a certain German dictator did in the 1940s to pollute and poison the Olympics when he attempted to turn them into some kind of political and racial statement? Yeah, well, politicians need to stay as far away from the Olympics as possible.  POLITICS DOESN’T BELONG IN THE OLYMPICS!

The Dreadful Season is almost over. I am looking forward to some peace and quiet this fall. I pray we can get some.