I DON'T LIKE FOOTBALL. I DON'T LIKE POLITICS. DOES THAT MAKE ME A BAD AMERICAN?

"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide." ~Napoleon Bonaparte

Okay, I like my quote. I know that Napoleon was not known for being particularly democratic but I think what he said is very powerful. In lieu of the excitement we all shared yesterday, celebrating our right to vote for the next president of the United States I begin to think about some things and so I chose this particular quote by Napoleon Bonaparte to get this entry rolling...

We have a fantastic right in this country. A right so powerful that citizens of other countries don't even dare to dream about. We have the right to speak out if we don't like what's going or we want a change. We have the right to decide. I will reluctantly and with my tail between my legs, admit that this right is not something I have always appreciated. In the beginning it was simply not understanding... not "getting it". My freshman year of high school it was this not "getting it" that got me sent out into the hall when I proclaimed in my Economic, Legal, & Political Systems (ELPS) class that "Voting is a waste of time. The Electoral College really does the choosing." Throughout my college years, I rolled my eyes at my mother when she would offer her "polite" reminder to cast my absentee ballot, because there are always important issues that need my voice. Although I still do not completely "get it", I can say that I very much appreciate and I am very much thankful to my fore-fathers AND fore-mothers for fighting for me to have my voice heard. (on a side note...I was sent a fantastic email from one of my friends reminding me of just how hard our fore-mothers fought for me to have the right to vote. It was really great... I would be extremely happy to send it to anyone interested!) I have scribbled on enough about how wonderful it is to have rights long enough...now for what this entry is about...

I do not like politics. The commercials are relentless and bore me to tears. Debating, in my opinion, is just a way to give multiple "put-downs" in one sitting. I hate that. The embelished self-flattery of each candidate leads me to believe that all politicians are suffering from a serious case of narsicissm (I can't believe I spelled that right...). I loathe lying and false promises, even if the intentions are good. Politics in general bore me. I do not like to talk about them. I do not like to read about them. I do not like them to take up my trash TV time. I don't like them Sam-I-Am. :-) I know that expressing my boredom and apathy about politics probably makes me sound ignorant, but I don't care. It simply does not interest me.

I do not like football. Period. People (men AND women) just get too worked up over such a silly sport. Emotions run high and harsh words are exchanged between buddies all because of a game. It's just all to intense for me. (Yes, those of you that really know me know that I get worked up about things that others usually find insignificant...but that is me and this is my blog so we'll leave the discussion of my obsessiveness at the door) Alright. Alright. I will admit the idea of drinking lots of beer (which I'm ALWAYS for), eating wings (which I LOVE), shouting (I'm naturally a loud talker, so if everyone else is shouting I blend in more) and dancing (I do love to dance...) does sound like a little fun. I said a little. Still the actual game of football, which is what this fun time tends to revolve around, I could care less. Fine...I will also admit that some of the mascots are cute too.

What DO I like? I like shoes. That's as far as I've gotten with that question so I'm going to have to come back to that one.

To answer my question: I don't like politics. I don't like football. Does that make me a bad American? I would love feedback!

**for Rachel Wilson who told me
about National Blog Posting Month
...and keeps me entertained at work!