Politics Ain’t A Football Game
And ethical legislation should not be decided by a flip of the coin
“Party affiliation has become an all-encompassing identity that outweighs the details of specific policies”. — Amanda Taub, New York Times — “Why Americans Vote ‘Against Their Interest’: Partisanship”
It’s curious to me how people are convinced to vote against their own best interests for the sake of being affiliated with the right “team”. It has baffled me that many people, who are good solid humans, can side with a party that blatantly diminishes causes they profess to care about.
I believe this phenomenon is the purposeful design of our “football nation”. We are led to believe we must have loyalty to our “team” above all else. We can root for other teams only if ours doesn’t have stake in the game. Otherwise it is imperative that we are fiercely loyal — even during a losing streak, or a bad call or even during a crippling scandal. You’re not a team player if you speak out against anyone on the team — and not being “a team player” is a perceived sacrilege in our culture.
But the problem is that our politicians and the corporations that own them are not players on “our team”, and ethical legislation is not a game. The consequences for closing our eyes to truth have lasting effects that can harm us all.
We have got to open our eyes. We have got to pay attention and learn to think for ourselves. Being easily led is not a virtue. If you are only supporting a party because it’s the “team” you have been told to root for, you seriously need to reevaluate the players and the coaches and the owners of that team.
And if you support a whole “team” based on a single issue, that’s just not sound judgement. I’ve known many people who support a particular sports team simply because they represent their hometown or state. That’s fine. But after you realize that they have poor management or poor performance, there’s no harm in reevaluating your allegiance. And if you’re only rooting for a team because you like the quarterback, but don’t approve of the coach’s tactics or the other player’s abilities, I’d encourage you to try to find a team you have more faith in as a whole.
We have to realize that our political arenas are made up of people (and corporations) with agendas. And we have to decide if it’s ethically sound to support each of them individually. We do not have to support the whole lot of them just because they have the right colors on their jerseys. Unlike sports, in politics we can be much more selective than that.
Everything our politicians do is a matter of public record. It’s not hard to research where their votes go and who puts money in their pockets. Most people have no problem remembering football or baseball stats for every player on “their team” and the final score of every game they’ve ever been to. Surely it’s no more difficult to remember the words, votes and deeds of our elected officials?
What I’m trying to say is that our political loyalties reflect who we are as human beings — what you stand for and what you won’t stand for. Please, choose wisely.
These matters deserve more contemplation than who you choose to root for at a ball game. It’s so much more important. Unlike sports games, even if your political team is winning, that can often mean you, your family and issues you care about are ultimately losing.
Politicians are after more than a trophy at the end of the season. These days they are more often fighting to fill their pockets with money. And most of this money comes from corporate interests that are willing to trade your health, your financial security, your consumer protections, your workplace rights, and the health of the planet that supports us for their own financial gain.
Patriotism is not blindly following the leader. In fact, a true patriot is someone who is willing to scrutinize the actions of those in power, and speak out on behalf of the Nation’s well being — regardless of political leanings. Patriotism is taking a stand to hold our politicians accountable and working to ensure equality, justice and liberty for everyone who calls this country their home.
And remember — nobody can take away your birthday if you decide to change your mind about what jersey to wear for certain events or what flag to fly for specific issues. You may like Joe’s policy on the environment, but dispise his views on healthcare. You may cringe at the idea of abortion, but realize the importance of access to birth control or cancer screenings.
The thing is, you can be selective — and you should be. In a country of over 300 million humans, there are not many issues that are black and white or cut and dry. Almost every single issue we deal with is composed of different layers and shades of gray… and we are allowed to interpret those issues one by one and take our stand on them according to our own moral code.
And one more thing while I’m at it — not choosing is a choice. Apathy is quite possibly the worst stance we can take concerning political matters. But it’s never too late to learn and to get involved. We are all in this together, and we have an obligation to each other to work to make our lifetimes — and the world we share — the best they can be. And we can only do that if we realize that the only “team” that matters is the one we’re all on together.
We must stop allowing those who profess to be our coaches to divide us up into groups that are convenient to their schemes. No one who lives and breathes should have to sit on the bench for someone else’s comfort or profit margins. The politicians will continue to play their games, but we cannot let them forget that we own the field they are playing on.
