Mama Weer All Crazee Now!

Politics! Again? Yep. I just can't help it as we are in an election year, in the midst of unprecedented partisan impeachment and people seem to have lost their minds.

This morning as I was looking at social media posts and comments, I couldn't help but think of the old Slade song, "Mama Weer All Crazee Now." We are and I think that needs to be the theme song for 2020, because when it comes to voicing our opinions on politics, that crazy ex-girlfriend comes out in all of us.

Now I am no paragon of virtue and I certainly don't pretend to be. I have my own political views and opinions and yes, the closer it gets to the election, especially with all this impeachment stuff going on, it does get harder and harder to not verbally explode all over the place. My saving grace is a private social media political page where it is all about politics and therefore verbal explosions are expected. Still, from time to time I can't help but make a post on my personal page or that of a like minded friends when the political craziness gets to much. Other than that though, I try to keep my personal Facebook page focused on the positive, because honestly, there is still much good in the world....we just currently have to look a little harder.

I think the saddest thing that has come from this new political era that we have come into is the brash idea that there is only room for one opinion and that if someone has other opinions, that it is somehow your right to "stalk" them into seeing things your way. It appears to be part of this new world of entitlement. You are entitled to your opinion and beliefs but no one else is. Again....yes, I have plenty of opinions and from my view, my beliefs are correct, but I am not entitled enough to believe that I am 100% right all the time and that there aren't other sides and view points to any given issue or topic. I am always interested in hearing respectful opinions. They don't necessarily change my view, but they do make me think and possibly even understand why others come to the beliefs and opinions they have. It's called being an adult who has respect for others whether I agree or not. Sadly though, many have lost the ability to accept that others can disagree and still be worthy of respect. While I know many with this current view, one in particular comes to mind.

It is easy to understand in this day and age that younger people, especially millennials have trouble accepting others views, after all they are the generation of thinking that they are the center of the universe, therefore they are right about everything from eating tide pods to the belief that they are somehow entitled to all things free. It is however a little surprising, not to mention off putting when you have a grown adult who is my age, acting with this same immature outlook. Now don't get me wrong, believe as you will, but when you are trying to force your beliefs on others, as someone who is supposed to be an educated and mature adult, then there seems to be a deep seated need for either attention, to be constantly right or simply to harass those who think for themselves and not as you.

There is a person I have known many years who seems to be falling into the millennial maturity well into their 50's and I seem to be their target for stalking or harassment or possibly it is just as simple as they need to be the loudest voice in the room. Whatever the case, I am kind of at a loss. This individual and I have never been what you would call "friends," but I have been friends with members of their family. At one time in fact, I had quite a bit of respect for this individual as early on, they had to make some tough choices in life. As adults we have been social media friends and although our politics are polar opposites, I have enjoyed their posts and comments on mine, simply because you can learn even if you don't agree. Recently though, this person has taken to coming to my social media and trying to call me out for my posts, political or otherwise. Of late, it almost feels like a stalking situation, where this person just waits for me to posts just so they can tell me what "horeshit" or "crap" my post is.

Now, I usually can keep my inside voice in check and am respectful to just about anyone. Not too long ago though, I did fire back pretty heavily at this person on one of my posts that they decided to critique with all the tact of a drunken sailor on leave. I will never blatantly insult a person, call names or be hateful, but pushed far enough, I will bluntly tell you what I think of  your post and your position. I did just that. I am also not a back down kind of person. If you start something....I will finish it. It apparently pushed buttons on this person that I had no idea about and opened the door to them having to comment on the most absurd things on my page. Depending on my mood, some days it amuses me and other days, I am just perplexed as to why this person would waste precious time in such a silly way.

Another friend and I were laughing about it the other day and she asked why I didn't just unfriend this person? What a great question. For some reason, I almost feel that maybe I'm the only one that will spar with this person. Maybe that is what they need, just conversation....good, bad or indifferent. We all know they old saying, "For some, bad attention is better than no attention at all." Now some would say that this is reaching on my part, but is it? You would think as much "BS" as they think I post, that it would drive them to the point of simply unfriending me. Heck, I have been blocked for a whole heck of a lot less, and yet there they sit....watching, waiting and ready to reply. As Dr. Phil always says, you stay in a situation...even a bad one, because there is some payoff in it. Obviously this person and I are both politically crazy enough, that we get something from this whole little polar opposite dance.

The funny thing is, I am not the only one going through this. A couple of other "out spoken" friends of mine, have their own version of this dance going on with political opposites too. What the heck is wrong with us? Has politics brought us to the point where we bait, stalk and spend precious time playing stupid back and forth games while our friends watch to catch the next episode of, "Who bested who?"

I can tell you that writing this was extremely good therapy. Reading back over it, I don't feel good about myself as a human being on any level right now, as I am as guilty as this other person for allowing the silliness to continue. Yes, Mama.....weer all crazee now and admitting that is half the battle. The other half is changing back to who I know I am deep down. I can't change anyone but me, but I can change me and how I act and react to silliness.

Sometimes you say more, when you simply say nothing at all. We'll see if I am capable of that. And with that....I'll leave you with this: