As I type this, it is about one week away from the presidential election in the United States of America. This means the end of what seems like decades of campaigning, even if it's only been a year. Hopefully, this also means a brief respite from what has been completely unavoidable and mostly infuriating, the constant coverage of that election.
I am aware that the election of a president can have ramifications for Canada, so it's important to be aware of who our neighbors to the south select. Simple awareness of a presidential campaign doesn't bother me, it's how this particular campaign has infected the way people talk to each other, whether about politics or things that are entirely separate and unrelated. The entire campaign has brought out the worst in Americans, and has turned the selection of a leader into something particularly ugly.
It's not really about policy, but instead the idea that the person you don't like is an enemy to all that is good and righteous, and anyone who supports him is subhuman. It's a view that's fostered by the parties themselves, who have both done a good job of painting the opposing side as the enemy, the people who are going to destroy the country and make good honest Americans suffer for the next four years until someone else shows up.
I might agree with one side over the other, but I've become quite sick of seeing the low level of discourse infect people outside of their borders. It's difficult to go anywhere without seeing some ill thought out yet incredibly mean-spirited comments about one of the presidential candidates, and it's difficult to get a grasp of what on earth the big battle is actually about. The us vs. them mentality has made it impossible to actually judge the candidates on their own terms. The tactic of painting one party or another as the enemy, something that must be destroyed, has made it impossible to actually tell what any issues actually are, it's a battle of extreme viewpoints rather than a discussion of what's best for a nation.
The worst part is, I fear that we could see this disease infect the politics of other nations, especially Canada. We have a front row seat to this pointless mud slinging, and any relative success could make it so campaign strategists in this country adopt similar tactics. After all, it works south of the border, why couldn't we turn people against each other and destroy meaningful conversation here too? It clearly gets a loyal group of voters together and people caught up in fear are less likely to actually think about their choices. It's a dangerous road to walk down, and I hope nobody tries to force us down it.
For now, I'm grateful that the constant coverage will inevitably end, and any grumbles about the man who will serve as president over the next four years quiet down to a murmur - though given the emotions whipped up in the campaign I suspect we're not going to see them disappear completely. I just want the campaign to end, so I don't have to hear about it anymore, from people on both sides of the political divide. That said, I hope that when people of this country think on that election, we decide that we don't want to be America, and take a relatively calm, rational approach to the way we vote for our leaders. It's the only way that we can effectively avoid disaster.
