Living in a highly partisan America leaves me sad sometimes. Things aren’t hopeless, but our politics might be. Tonight the stage is set for a presidential debate, before either party has officially held their convention and selected a candidate. That alone seems surreal and it’s going to ramp up the partisan craziness before we even get to the party conventions.
I don’t expect anything to be fair or honest about a debate hosted by CNN and my distrust stems from CNN’s record, going back to 2012, when CNN’s Candy Crowley, the debate moderator “fact-checked” GOP candidate Mitt Romney, and her fact-check was wrong. Nothing has improved with presidential debates since then.
A presidential debate this early will likely only solidify partisan support, while the small number of independent and uncommitted voters remain soft on support up until closer to election time, when more Americans are really dialed into the election. This debate could prove disastrous if Biden fumbles, since prominent Dems have voiced concern about Biden’s abilities, not just Republicans.
Trump’s support among his base and among Republicans distressed by Biden policies, likely wouldn’t be rattled by whatever Trump says or how he acts. Bombastic Trump or more presidential Trump matter less than Trump’s commitment to border security, tough on crime, changing economic policy direction for Trump supporters, I think. Even many people not enamored of Trump are alarmed by the direction our country’s taken with Biden policies. So, I think Biden has more on the line and apparently his handlers do too and that’s why they’ve sequestered Biden for a week to try to get him prepared for a debate, while Trump has been out and about doing rallies and meeting with all sorts of people. This past week has showcased that Trump is the one acting presidential, while Biden needed to go into hiding for a week to prepare for a debate.
Many other things besides the candidates could impact this election – like civil unrest, disastrous results from the open border policies (like a terrorist attack), more economic turmoil, etc. For that reason, despite the media drama about how important this debate is, I’m not wasting any emotional energy on it.
I’ve been working on my small container garden and since cucumbers are coming in and piling up fast, I’ve been making pickles this past week and yesterday I decided to try a cucumber relish recipe from my Ball canning cookbook.
It might be tempting to bury our heads in the sand and tune out the news, but we should pay attention to wars breaking out, escalating foreign situations, political events, weather happenings and other local news, so it’s not good to try to retreat from the world. Add to that we’re in another contentious presidential election year, so more crazy happenings can be expected. Just yesterday there was a NBC news report of some got-aways coming across the US southern border, who might have ties to ISIS.
Working on putting some boundaries on news and social media consumption is a challenge for me, but I’m getting much better at not getting emotionally invested in news or political drama.
Finding balance between paying attention and paying too much attention can be hard and that’s why I realized that I also need to work on growing more hope and gratitude, because it’s too easy to get sucked into news media and social media drama. What I don’t think many people understand when they use social media is influencers aren’t the biggest concern. Social media platforms are set up to make you the product. Those platforms are designed to collect data on you every second you’re on them and then figure out ways to use algorithms to modify your behavior.
Your social media feed is all about algorithmic behavior modification, as social media algorithms fill your feed with information, analyze your behavior, then adjust your feed to keep you clicking/scrolling and watching. Your social media feed fills with things geared toward your previous searches and viewing habits. If you click on a particular topic, the algorithms will adjust and fill up your feed with more of that topic. It’s easy to assume other people are seeing the same things you are, but truly you’re allowing yourself to be guided down partisan rabbit holes and into a very narrow bubble. Many people talk about their online community, but these aren’t real communities – they’re echo chambers you’ve been guided into by algorithms you’re not even aware of. Millions of people get their news from social media sites too, so it’s important to be aware that the news that fills up your social media feed is all about algorithmic behavior modification too.
We all have to pick and choose what news and information we consume and react to. I live in an area that can be impacted by Atlantic hurricanes and the experts are predicting a more active hurricane season. Likewise, there’s escalating far-left protesting happening around the country, reminiscent of the 2020 BLM “mostly peaceful” protest chaos. I don’t live in a big city, but 2020 shook my faith in never having to worry about shortages or civil unrest disruptions in America. So, I’m reassessing my emergency preparedness.
I’m checking my pantry and other basic supplies and stocking up a bit more, although I continually stock up extra stuff as part of my normal routine. I’ve decided to up my efforts some, just in case. If you aren’t prepared at all, well, all I can say is you don’t have to go all in and become a hardcore prepper, but certainly having some basic items stocked up doesn’t take that much effort. Having extra food, water, medication/first-aid items, etc. ahead of time can mean the difference between an unusual event being a crisis or just an inconvenience. Sure, everything is more expensive, but stocking up a little at a time is still doable for most people.
This beautiful zinnia grew on it’s own in one of my squash containers. The squash plant bit the dust, but this zinnia has thrived. I love squash, but this zinnia softened the blow of losing the squash and it sure brightens my day. I will definitely be saving seeds from this zinnia.
Along with those preparedness efforts, I’m working on trying to become a better listener, especially with people I don’t agree with, and I’m trying to limit my time spent on political drama or people getting worked up about everything in the news. Stocking up hope is much harder than stocking up material items, but it’s the most vital thing to stockpile, no matter what happens.
libertybelle diaries 
I’m convinced that the election is just a distraction at this point. Neither side cares about us and both sides are controlled by outside powers that feed them money.