Rules for an American Election Year

Globally, the stage is far from ideal. Israel is allegedly committing genocide in Gaza and plans to stay the course. Ukraine is still engaged in a brutal conflict with Russia, the death toll ever rising and the manipulation of funds ever continuing. The United States is engaging in a direct conflict with Iranian targets in Yemen and the contentious battle for cargo ships in international waters has set the tone for chaos in our immediate future.

Back in America and we begin to scrutinize the political candidates and their shortcomings, especially if it’s scandalous. Joe Biden is still fighting accusations of criminal activity, wearing backwards hard hats, and fumbling over words. It truly is difficult to decipher what he is, an idiot, or a mastermind. Donald Trump maintains his flair, loud, abrasive, and unmistakably orange. He continues to fight accusations of his own as well. It is no surprise that nobody is accusing the people of the United States as having “too many good choices” when it comes to our future leader. Meanwhile, courts are disobeying direct Supreme Court rulings; and the media is screaming over the Texas border dispute, sensationalizing the prospect of an impending “civil war”.

During all this I choose simply to appeal to my fellow Americans. Let us agree to these simple rules and navigate the year amicably.

Yet again we find ourselves in an American election year. Media smear campaigns, political posturing with ill intent and global conflicts are today’s new normal. The smell of our “freedom” hangs thick in the air, reminiscent of a freshly manured field, a mix of hope and shit.

Rules for an American Election Year.

Verify with your own eyes.
Only believe things that you can verify firsthand or that have been verified by a trusted person in your actual life. Not your Instagram feed, not your YouTube algorithm. Your real life. Media and social Media company narratives often skew reality and the ability to find the truth requires a good judge considering all available information.

Hold Leaders accountable.
Ultimately, by allowing individuals to manipulate how we interpret things that happen within our own lives we relinquish quite a bit of power. We are doing so to individuals that do not deserve this power and have demonstrated this continuously. Hold them accountable, call for criminal actions to be punished, immoral actions should be met with calls for removal, and failure to comply with the law should result in court officers being removed for failure to perform their duties.

Prioritize dialogue over chaos.
In the face of a world that seems to push us towards conflict prioritize civil discourse over violence. Peaceful protests, over riots. Filing complaints on officials rather than roasting them online. This is the path to change, through their own system.

Recognize the alliance of deceit.
Understand that government officials and social media companies work in tandem. At times and in concert, they have disseminated information that is not truthful, with the intent of manipulating popular opinion during times of conflict, crisis, and false flags.