My days have become an endless slew of reading newspaper articles; researching statistics aka running my own fact checks; getting lessons from my father on how taxes work, etc; watching debates; and having discussions with co-workers. It has been a thrill. It is really something when you can watch yourself grow into your own opinions. That is how I'm feeling these days.... like I'm starting to get it. Now, I'm FAR from knowing everything but thanks to my anthropology background, I am constantly paranoid about being biased so that keeps me fact-checking like crazy. Ergo, I'm feeling somewhat confident that what I know- and what I think- is a pretty educated, well rounded opinion.
Now, I have wanted to share my thoughts about this upcoming election so many times but we all know what happens when you post that stuff on Facebook. I still want to share them though so here they are. I want people to know my reasonings for voting for Obama. As an anthropologist, I understand that things are rarely as they seem on the surface and I want people to know what's going on underneath my surface... okay that was a little weird.... Sorry. To make up for it, here's a random picture of a woman voting.
So without further ado....... here it is.... Corrine's TWO major philosophies/ theories/ ramblings/ whatever-you-want-to-call-them about politics and ultimately the reasons why she will be checking that ballot box next to Obama's name. (We all know politics is all about how you see the world and that you vote for the one who sees the world the same way you do!)
View Number One-- The difference between Republicans and Democrats really boils down to one issue:: the role of government. And I think the stereotypical 1950's family displays the two ideologies perfectly.
I recently returned from a summer in Uganda with a renewed gratitude for my country. We have the poor, the needy, the homeless just like Uganda but there is one difference-- our government works. Our government CAN help its people. WHY ON EARTH WOULD WE THROW THAT GIFT AWAY?!?!?! Why on earth would be say "I don't want this.... in fact, I'm going to change the government around so that it cannot help its people". Call me a socialist, I don't care (actually don't.... commitment issues remember?) but I think it is the government's duty, nay it's obligation to be as selfless as a mother in helping her children survive in this world. Some of her children might take more care than others-- she will give them that extra care.
View Number Two-- Because of my studies in international development, foreign policy is something very important to me. One of THE MOST IMPORTANT aspects of understanding foreign policy is understanding the dynamics of the world we live in. This post- 9/11 world is different than the one we learn about in the history books. It seems after every major event, our world shifts dynamics. After WW2, the dynamics shifted in America's favor. We became the hero of the world; we became the big brother/watchdog/whatever-you-want-to-call-us. In the 50+ years since that war, a lot of things have changed but for some reason, our American mentality has not. We still see ourselves as top dogs and think that if we aren't the only one at number one, then we are last. In my opinion, we are clinging on to the past instead of trying to find our place in this new beautiful world that is emerging.
I thought of a "great" analogy. Look at England for a second. For hundreds of years, the Kings and Queens ruled England. They had absolute power. They made the rules, etc. Then, for reasons I'm too lazy to research for one blog post, things shifted. They created a parliament who now holds the power. They kept the Royal Family because it was an essential part of their culture. More importantly, they kept the Royal Family because they still respected them; cherished their opinions. I don't think anyone would argue that Queen Elizabeth has no influence in the world today; in fact, her light still shines very brightly.
I think the world is a like England. For centuries there has been one country to rule them all-- Rome, England and then America (and yes, I realize I made HUGE jumps in history). But we are moving into a world where there is a parliament instead of an absolute rule. We have BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) who are the up and coming stars in the world's economy. We have UN Millennium Goals striving to get the entire globe out of poverty. Just because America might no longer have absolute power does not mean we have lost our influence. It does not mean we cannot fight for freedom and democracy. It does not mean that our light needs to shine any less or that the countries of the world will no longer look to us for advice.
It DOES however mean that we have to change our mentality. If we don't, we will lose the respect of many. If we don't, we will lose our place in the future world. And I for one think that would be a great loss to mankind. America has too much to offer this world and its people to lose our place because we were whining about not being first anymore.
In closing, I don't agree with 100% of Obama's policies. Nor do I think he has done an A+ job in his first term but he has done enough for me to say "give him four more years!". Nor do these two philosophies even being to cover all the reasons why I'm choosing him over Mitt Romney but like I said, it ultimately comes down to who is looking through the same rose-colored glasses are you. And Obama and I, we share the same glasses. He is a man that sees the world the same way I do-- a world reinventing itself again. And he is a man that sees this country the way I do-- a country that must act according to the blessings we have been given. And that is why I'm voting for him.
Now, I have wanted to share my thoughts about this upcoming election so many times but we all know what happens when you post that stuff on Facebook. I still want to share them though so here they are. I want people to know my reasonings for voting for Obama. As an anthropologist, I understand that things are rarely as they seem on the surface and I want people to know what's going on underneath my surface... okay that was a little weird.... Sorry. To make up for it, here's a random picture of a woman voting.
So without further ado....... here it is.... Corrine's TWO major philosophies/ theories/ ramblings/ whatever-you-want-to-call-them about politics and ultimately the reasons why she will be checking that ballot box next to Obama's name. (We all know politics is all about how you see the world and that you vote for the one who sees the world the same way you do!)
View Number One-- The difference between Republicans and Democrats really boils down to one issue:: the role of government. And I think the stereotypical 1950's family displays the two ideologies perfectly.
Republicans view the government as the authoritative father. He's mostly hands off on the day to day stuff because he thinks too much regulation would stifle the growth of his children, or maybe he doesn't want to bother with them at all (esp the weak ones). However, that doesn't stop the dad from not laying down the law, by force if necessary, when it comes to who his daughter dates (no matter what she thinks or wants) because it is only his opinion that matters.
The Democrats on the other hand view the government more as the protective mother. Her entire purpose of living is to take care of her children, making sure they all have what they want/need. AND she always makes sure that none of them feel excluded-- she doesn't pick favorites. Granted, she might try to squeeze them a little too tight, or give them an embarrassing kiss when she drops them off for school.
Now, I'm not a registered Democrat but to say I'm left-leaning would not be wholly inaccurate. (I have commitment issues so labeling myself as anything tends to make me feel a bit claustrophobic). I think the government's role is to take care of it's people. I have spent the last five years of my life studying the countries of the world. I have seen what happens when a government does not take care of its people. I have seen what happens when a government is not capable of taking care of its people as well. It is not good; in fact, it is awful. Hopeless even.I recently returned from a summer in Uganda with a renewed gratitude for my country. We have the poor, the needy, the homeless just like Uganda but there is one difference-- our government works. Our government CAN help its people. WHY ON EARTH WOULD WE THROW THAT GIFT AWAY?!?!?! Why on earth would be say "I don't want this.... in fact, I'm going to change the government around so that it cannot help its people". Call me a socialist, I don't care (actually don't.... commitment issues remember?) but I think it is the government's duty, nay it's obligation to be as selfless as a mother in helping her children survive in this world. Some of her children might take more care than others-- she will give them that extra care.
View Number Two-- Because of my studies in international development, foreign policy is something very important to me. One of THE MOST IMPORTANT aspects of understanding foreign policy is understanding the dynamics of the world we live in. This post- 9/11 world is different than the one we learn about in the history books. It seems after every major event, our world shifts dynamics. After WW2, the dynamics shifted in America's favor. We became the hero of the world; we became the big brother/watchdog/whatever-you-want-to-call-us. In the 50+ years since that war, a lot of things have changed but for some reason, our American mentality has not. We still see ourselves as top dogs and think that if we aren't the only one at number one, then we are last. In my opinion, we are clinging on to the past instead of trying to find our place in this new beautiful world that is emerging.
I thought of a "great" analogy. Look at England for a second. For hundreds of years, the Kings and Queens ruled England. They had absolute power. They made the rules, etc. Then, for reasons I'm too lazy to research for one blog post, things shifted. They created a parliament who now holds the power. They kept the Royal Family because it was an essential part of their culture. More importantly, they kept the Royal Family because they still respected them; cherished their opinions. I don't think anyone would argue that Queen Elizabeth has no influence in the world today; in fact, her light still shines very brightly.
I think the world is a like England. For centuries there has been one country to rule them all-- Rome, England and then America (and yes, I realize I made HUGE jumps in history). But we are moving into a world where there is a parliament instead of an absolute rule. We have BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) who are the up and coming stars in the world's economy. We have UN Millennium Goals striving to get the entire globe out of poverty. Just because America might no longer have absolute power does not mean we have lost our influence. It does not mean we cannot fight for freedom and democracy. It does not mean that our light needs to shine any less or that the countries of the world will no longer look to us for advice.
It DOES however mean that we have to change our mentality. If we don't, we will lose the respect of many. If we don't, we will lose our place in the future world. And I for one think that would be a great loss to mankind. America has too much to offer this world and its people to lose our place because we were whining about not being first anymore.
In closing, I don't agree with 100% of Obama's policies. Nor do I think he has done an A+ job in his first term but he has done enough for me to say "give him four more years!". Nor do these two philosophies even being to cover all the reasons why I'm choosing him over Mitt Romney but like I said, it ultimately comes down to who is looking through the same rose-colored glasses are you. And Obama and I, we share the same glasses. He is a man that sees the world the same way I do-- a world reinventing itself again. And he is a man that sees this country the way I do-- a country that must act according to the blessings we have been given. And that is why I'm voting for him.
