opinion
Opinion pieces from the left, right, and everyone in between.
Why I Abandoned Politics (To Contemplate How Politicians Smell)
To be honest, following politics for the multipartisan political analysis/comedy group Drafting The Hill kind of gave me a (gigantic) nervous breakdown/existential crisis worthy of a pill-popping soccer mom who just found out her husband is banging his much younger secretary that I'm just now beginning to recover from. Politics, at a citizen (plebs) level, really isn't anything except us human beings yelling over each other, ignoring the ignorance of their own "side" whilst screaming at the top of their lungs, furious about what the other "side" is doing. These "sides" don't even represent our ideologies as a nation (except the most extreme of us), yet since the "other side" stands against things we despise (whether it be religion, guns, socialism, healthcare, immigration, environment, trans kids, etc.), battle lines have been drawn and it doesn't matter how alien the rest of the philosophy your party speaks; as long they have one's back on the issues that are (emotionally) important to their members. I know pro-gun liberals and atheist conservatives, because their stance on politics is discussing the distractions the media has us wallowing in instead of discussing what is truly going on. These individuals should think of themselves as just that, individuals, not cogs a part of a larger political machine of which their personality is inherently connected.
By Regular Person8 years ago in The Swamp
The Real "Inconvenient Truth"
There was a video posted on this social networking site about folks who eat canines. Many were commenting about its absurdity and disgusting nature. Though I agree this is, in my opinion, "disgusting behavior," I would be remiss not to add the folly in the biased perspective of this populace, particularly in the U.S. and others like it. All intentional needless killing is "immoral" and if one feels one type of inessential demise is alright, then ALL are acceptable, according to this mindset, by that very same logic. This video showing folks consuming dogs (which I had no need to observe in its entirety) is no worse than individuals eating chicken, pig, fish, cow, crustaceans, turkey, frog, deer, lamb, eggs, etc. Americans seem to be on a self-righteous high-horse and do not appear to recognize the hypocrisy within its own convictions. Somehow, dogs and cats are deserving of our compassion… yet pigs are NOT?! The fact that it is in your culture or you have been doing this for a long time is far from a sound argument.
By Razi'El Muntasir8 years ago in The Swamp
Civil Hypocrisy
Confession: I’m supposed to be out promoting my new LGBT themed romance, Shape of Love. Instead, I’m caught in a tightening vase of anger because of Republicans. Not all of them, there are some Conservatives who I respect and often talk to in the hopes of understanding their positions. The Republicans I’m talking about are the Trump-bots that will parrot whatever lie the Orange one yells or Tweets. The leaders of the party that is supposed to be for families and the working class, ha! Those leaders released a new ad suggesting that all liberals are unhinged, but clearly, they haven’t taken a look at their own party.
By Edward Anderson8 years ago in The Swamp
Have We Lost the Meaning Behind Independence Day?. Top Story - June 2018.
Fireworks have never been my favorite thing in the world. They are loud and potentially could blow my hand off or worse. My brother, on the other hand, loves fireworks like most Americans do. People shell out thousands of dollars to blow up all the products within 24 hours. Most kids these days only know this as one day: the 4th of July. We have stopped calling the holiday what it actually is to the point we now communicate the day with just that; the day it is.
By Ashlyn Harper8 years ago in The Swamp
The Problem With the Feminist Stance on Immigration
The Feminist Movement's stance on the immigration crisis that is plaguing the United States is to keep the children with their parents. This sounds great! I think everyone can agree that children should be with their parents. However, for a movement that claims all these numbers about women's abuse and sexual assault. Why would they support a decision that puts children in a position where these horrible things can happen? Why are they unwilling to compromise on the matter?
By Caroline Brown8 years ago in The Swamp
Washington DC's Hypocrisy
There seems to be a disconnect in Washington D.C. and the rest of the country. Of course Hollywood is just as disconnected, but there is a clear double standard between "them" and "us." From the way they treat women, to the way they think they know what is better for us, to the way they expect we don't realize what they do behind closed doors in the deal making arena that is politics. They treat the average American citizen as a personal bank and like puppets, here to do what ever they deem necessary to make them happy. We can most clearly see this in the way the immigration topic is being handled, right now.
By Bradley Perry8 years ago in The Swamp
If You Say in Public That You “Don’t Trust the Media” You Are a Special Kind of Stupid
Every once in awhile I run into a man at a party who brags that he carries his tire iron under the driver’s seat of his car (always a man) just in case of trouble. Knowing nothing else about this person than this one statement, I can safely assume that they are cowardly and a douchebag and cruel. Perhaps in other aspects of their life they are somewhat normal, but this statement gives them away. The same is true of people who claim to “not trust the media.” Particularly, if they say it in a way that is meant to come off as sage, and worldly. When a person says that, I, and many others, understand deep down that the speaker is a very special kind of stupid.
By David Bulley8 years ago in The Swamp
The Extreme Double Standards of Hollywood and Washington
We have seen an onslaught of insults, hurled by both sides of the aisle, in the recent months. There is definitely a double standard in Hollywood and the media, and Washington. More specifically, comedians and the people who seem to think they set the moral standards for the rest of the country, and the world. With the recent on-air insult hurled by Samantha Bee, and the Tweet by Rosanne, we have seen the clear double standard that exists in the media, Hollywood, and Washington. While there was pandering on both sides, I think it is clear to see who wins in the end. There will be direct quotes in this article, so be warned, there is foul language ahead, but I feel it necessary to get the point across. There is no ill will and no hatred implied, so get over it!
By Bradley Perry8 years ago in The Swamp
If You Are Not Multi-Lingual, Shut Your Mouth
Picking on bilingual people for speaking their own language is racist and silly. Hey evil racists, se habla español jerks, and I’m fluent from high school Spanish, my easy A. You see, you people thrive on hating minorities. Native Americans are also bullied for speaking their language in public since they are truly the ones who were here first when the United States was a mere colony. Don’t shame bilingual people into speaking in English, losers. You do not speak another language, at all, period. So who is ignorant and who is not?
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
Thoughts from an Oreo #1
Thoughts from an Oreo Pt. 1 Oreo. Half and half. Zebra. I've heard it all. It doesn't take long for people to notice that you're mixed before the floodgates open. The comments about my hair. The questions about what race my parents belong to. And let's not forget the confusion about which ethnicity I should check off whenever I fill out my paperwork.
By Hannah Walker8 years ago in The Swamp
