Tag: politics

Quarantined Saturday

~ kristalauren ~ 1 Comment

I decided to nix the numbers for my posts on here because I don’t want to make anyone upset about how long we’ve been inside. It’s been a little over a month, which actually when you think about it isn’t as bad as it sometimes feels. People a lot smarter than me are studying this virus and coming up with some ways to combat it. It’s still very early, but we’re learning more every single day.

I keep saying that I personally think this thing will become a lot easier when a skilled innovator decides to make something — like an easy to produce mask that filters out germs, for example — that helps us stay safe around loved ones and makes it easily accessible. If I learned one thing from watching Shark Tank, it’s the inexpensive products that everyone needs and can afford that make someone richer than they can imagine. I honestly don’t care who makes products that help us go out safely again, as long as we can. There are people who are working day and night right now, some who want to be the first to solve our problems so that they can make an enormous profit, and others who have hearts that want to help others. Either way, we have brilliant minds working on this and I know we’re going to be able to see loved ones again and enjoy our favorite activities one day.

I definitely feel weird still that my family is so close but I can’t see them. I’ve made a few trips to borrow or swap groceries, but keep my distance and stay in my car, similar to what we’d do at a grocery pickup. I’ve always been a rule follower when it comes to health and safety, so there has never been much of a question of whether I am hanging out with anyone other than my household during these quarantimes. FaceTime and HouseParty have been great apps to keep in touch with friends, and I listen to a lot of podcasts. I am a pretty typical millennial and don’t like sitting in silence, so podcasts fill that void for me.

I ordered some paint by numbers kits a few weeks ago, but still haven’t gotten them. I’m looking forward to having crafts to do, but in the meantime am doing some cooking and baking to keep my hands busy. Remember how I told you I filled in a map of the US and struggled more than someone who is nearing 30 should? I need to study that this week, and am also going to begin cramming for our 2020 election. I took a quiz yesterday to find out “who I should vote for,” and the result was actually really interesting. I apparently should take a look at Jacob Hornberger, someone from the Libertarian party.

Now, I am not into politics hardly at all. I have some moderate opinions on some of the more discussed issues, but I don’t pay close attention to politics or usually contribute greatly to conversations with friends and family, because I’ve always enjoyed more lighthearted entertainment — like which of the Kardashians I would most want to be friends with (Currently Khloe, but in the past it was Kim) or whether or not Jessica and Mark are actually looking for love on reality television.

I think this needs to change some, though. I should be paying more attention to some of the events going on in the world and really make an educated vote in 2020. For this reason, I am going to start opening my emails from TheSkimm, and begin to figure out how to get some straight up facts, rather than watching CNN, FOX, or anything of the like. Please let me know if you have suggestions of media without so much bias! I foresee myself having a difficult time filtering through news, as I think both Democrats and Republicans often make good points about how to solve problems. Reporting these days feels so incredibly emotional, which makes it hard for someone like me to decipher whether someone is speaking with an agenda or reporting straight facts. I will be updating these blogs with some of my opinions, and will appreciate having some good debates about politics. Unlike many people on social media, I will actually be someone who is willing to change her mind on issues, as I am just beginning to learn about many of them.

This will definitely be an interesting new twist to quarantine life, but I’ll feel good being able to participate just a little more in political discussions after all of this is said and done. As long as people are respectful and willing to hear each other out, it’s probably good to hear viewpoints other than your own. Right? We won’t all agree on everything, but it’s really cool that we can learn from each other.

Opinions on The Internet

~ kristalauren ~ 3 Comments

I’m kind of terrified to write about anything that could be remotely considered an opinion these days. The Internet is an amazing, but scary place. You can find information on any given topic and no matter how rare you feel like something about you is, 99% of the time you see person after person who has that in common with you. The computer is a fantastic place to connect people with one another, to rally around each other for causes or through hardships, and feel less alone in this big world. It’s a great way to gain knowledge and learn how to be more empathetic, and can be an incredible tool to help others.

I think most people are good and mean well. We all want to make the world a better place, we just sometimes have different ways of getting there. The biggest thing I see people fight about online is politics, but I’ve seen vicious arguments about something as trivial as whether Chips Ahoy or Oreo cookies are better. I see Republicans and Democrats fighting right and left (No pun intended), name-calling and bashing each other for having different solutions on getting to a similar end goal. Each and every one of them thinks their plan is the best way to bring peace on Earth and end great amounts of suffering in the world — they just disagree on the practical steps it takes to get there. Instead of realizing that they are, in fact, on the same team, people yell at each other and resort to name-calling. Rather than wondering why someone might feel there is a different solution, people remain stubborn and set in their ways, and neglect to open their mind to other ideas. It’s really dangerous when we stop critical thinking and forget how to communicate effectively with others. 

Politics is the easiest example to give, but I clearly am not going to be starting a blog talking about current political events, so why should I feel worried about being attacked on here?

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I am afraid to write about my opinions because people on the Internet can be so darn mean about nothing. I see celebrities bullied on a daily basis just for sharing their lives with their fans, and I see well-intentioned posts by girls in Facebook groups get attacked because someone was offended by the way something was worded. Everyone wants to be a social justice warrior so damn badly that they forget the people they are tearing down are human beings with hearts and feelings too. It’s so ironic. In my mind, these people just have one type of person they feel compassion and empathy toward — those who think the exact same way that they do.

One of my favorite quotes by Martin Luther King Jr is,

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

Another great one is,

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

If you want to talk about tolerance and love, the first step is to be tolerant and loving. This means loving even those who are wrong.

MLK Jr is someone who truly understands what it’s like to be treated poorly, but chooses kindness anyway. He was a pioneer who changed life drastically for people who were not being treated well. He isn’t known for being offensive, rude, or condescending — rather, he is known for being kind and compassionate, even when he had every right not to be. He was the King of peaceful protests, and fought seamlessly for what was right while remaining calm and respectful. I think we could learn a lot from the way he handled conflict and injustice.

The truth of it is, we live in one of the most unforgiving times ever. A tweet from an angsty teenage version of someone ten years ago can completely destroy a career, a “like” on Instagram can lead to death threats, and voicing your opinion can be one of the scariest and bravest things you possibly do, especially if it is unpopular.

If the world keeps moving this way I think we’re going to miss out on so many creative minds. A world like this doesn’t promote creative thinking, rather it screams that you need to fit into a certain mold to be accepted and loved. I believe bullying is one of the worst things human beings are capable of doing, and I think there are so many online bullies who have absolutely no idea that they’re actually the ones who are being cruel. I’d love to see people ask more questions and find out why someone perceives the world differently than they do. Instead of trying to cram ideas down someone’s throat, find out why they believe what they do and have a civil conversation about it. Agreeing to disagree is what makes America such a great nation, and I hate seeing this notion getting flushed down the toilet with the age of the Internet. Great things will start happening when we learn to work with each other, rather than choosing to focus on and fight about our differences.