Simplify

I used to be a news junkie. I strongly believe that as an American citizen I have a civic duty to vote responsibly. I thought that the best way to do this was to be a news junkie. If I don’t know about the issues, how do I pick who has the best policies for the issues? My actions were based on a false assumption. I assumed that the news was the best source for understanding the issues. I was wrong.

I didn’t consciously stop reading the news. It just happened over time. It began in November 2004. I was deeply disappointed that we Americans re-elected George W. Bush. Don’t worry, I plan to keep specific politics out of this post, but the 2004 election had such a profound effect on me that I have to mention it. In the days after the election, I would start to read the news and would have to stop. It was too depressing. Instead of the usual ups and downs that is the American mass media, I saw it all as extreme downs. I stopped reading as a way to fend off despair.

This may sound extreme to some, but at this time, it really was affecting my daily life. So I stopped reading.

At the time, I thought I would pick up again after the post-election mayhem died down and the news turned to the more mundane. But even after that happened, I still couldn’t stomach it. So I gave it up.

About two months ago, it dawned on my that the California primary was in February and that I better figure out who to vote for. I started by watching the New Hampshire Democratic debates. I was blown away.

I didn’t know a thing about the candidates before watching the debates. I had ignored all media up until this point. I don’t have television, I don’t read the newspaper, most of my family subscribes to a brand of politics I don’t prefer, and I don’t run with a crowd who discusses politics often. So I really did know nothing about the candidates.

this gave me a fresh mind to evaluate character, performance and policy differences. For the first time in my life, I was watching a debate and not rooting for a winner. I was curious, engaged and indecisive. It was refreshing.

Afterwards, I fought the urge to dive into the news coverage. After all, I don’t need someone to tell me what my opinion is. Instead, I kept watching the subsequent debates.

I voted on Super Tuesday without reading a single article about the candidates, without visiting a single election website and without watching any television pundits. As a result, I believe it was the most educated voting choice I’ve made.

It had other benefits as well. I saved countless hours by not reading or watching the news. I also saved myself the emotional rollercoaster of the ups and downs of an election cycle.

I hope the candidate I voted for wins, but I don’t plan on watching how it plays out. After the conventions, I’ll tune into the debates, but until then I’m enjoying my ignorant bliss.