I've never had a blog before, and never had any real interest in creating one. But I have always had a immense passion for politics and various international affairs. Unfortunately, now that it's summer, the number of people willing to discuss things of this nature has dwindled down to no one. I'm one of those weird kids that enjoys college, even though I had a fierce hatred for high school. Now I don't have an outlet for my rants on politics, whereas before I could channel that energy into oral presentations or research projects. So now I'm here. I'm not really interested in the contest, as I never win anything, and I honestly don't even care if I have a steady readership. I just wanted a place to formulated my thoughts and refine my opinions.
Like most people, I'm extremely passionate about certain issues and bored to death by others. I feel that because there are so many issues in the world to care about, that it's okay that I focus on the few that I'm really interested in. Which is why I'm usually okay with the fact that others don't usually seem to take much interest in the causes I support. You can only do and keep up on and care about so many issues. Think about. First, there's the huge division of medical concerns, for anything from various forms of cancer to arthritus to rare diseases and premature birth. There are also just as many child-related concerns: adoption, starvation, poverty, abuse, neglect, trafficking, etc. There is homelessness, poverty, mental illness--both domestic and international. Of course there are the hot-button political issues of abortion, gay marriage, LGBT rights, war, immigration, etc. Then there are always the international issues of global slavery, AIDS, poverty, oppression, gender issues, etc. Obviously, I could go on and on.
Personally, I tend to keep up on the current hot political topics, although most of them have been so over-discussed that I don't even want to talk about them any more...although I will if necessary. This includes things like abortion, gay marriage, and illegal immigration. I care, and I have strong opinions on these things, but I can't bring myself to dedicate any more time to it. This is especially the case with the environment. Out of all the issues, this is the one that I can't stand. I think I'm the only liberal who hasn't seen An Inconvenient Truth. I don't know why, but global warming bores me to death. I get it- climate change, why going green is important, blah blah blah. I do what I can- you know, small things- recyclable paper, re-using canvas bags at the grocery store, etc. But it's just not one of those things that I'm passionate about. So sue me. There are a ton of people who do care about these things, and work on these causes on a regular basis. There are quite a few causes that I actively support that most people don't care at all about, so I feel like it's a fine trade.
hmmm....so...how about what I am interested in. First and foremost, I am entirely obsessed with the middle east and north africa- history, culture, current affairs- you name it. Specifically, I want to dedicate a big portion of my life to helping Palestinians and resolving the conflict begun by the arrogance and ignorance of Western nations and continued by the self-righteousness and self-concern of Israel and the U.S. On a broader scope, I am very interested in U.S. relations with other middle eastern/north african countries, namely Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
More domestically, I do follow a lot of the politics of homelessness and poverty and all of the issues that go with it. Also, I am a fierce feminist. But that's to be expected.
Welcome to ProgressiveU! You sound interesting, which we love. I'll be looking forward to reading your thoughts. If you need any help finding your way around, let me know :)
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Free books need new home.
~Fallon~
"If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don't remove it - I might be writing in my dreams."- Pace
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Hey, if you ever want to haggle about anything political, hit me up. I'm here for the same reasons as you- to refine my opinions and learn about other points of view (so I can more easily refute them later, hah!). I'm a high school senior, and I plan on taking a double major in Government and Law and International Relations for the next four years. As far as a language goes, I'm thinking Arabic. Anyway, the point of me telling you all this, because you obviously don't really care, is that we have a lot of the same interests. And I agree, it seems like everyone gets sick of politics, politics, politics all the time, but not me.
I'd be even more interested in talking politics or whatever with you because I see myself as moderately conservative. It's way too boring to chat with other conservatives; they just agree with me about everything. No fun in that. So seriously, if you want to start something, I volunteer myself. I'll keep a lookout for your future blogs...
I'll be going into my junior year of college in the fall...my major is International Studies and I'm actually minoring in Arabic language. I can't recommend taking Arabic enough. Not only will it make you a prime candidate for a career anywhere, but it's a really fun language and is becomming increasingly important. Although, I'm sure you know all of this already : ). So, we have all of this in common, however I am a die-hard liberal. You know, one of those really scary ones that actually is slightly insane, idealistic, and dares to use the word "socialist" to describe themself. I defend communism on a regular basis, if only because no one else does. It's fun.
I will definitely talk politics with you. And the cool thing is that just because I am freakishly liberal, doesn't mean that I feel the need to use the same tired old liberal rhetoric or shout "bush lied people died" at you. Becase that stuff bores me too.
Ah, classic liberal nut case. Excellent, then. Seriously, though, my best "political" friend would love you, and back during the primaries I'd go to Hillary events with her, even though I really probably won't be voting for her. I think that's something to be proud of, that you can legitimately consider and experience other points of view without attacking them or going on meaningless political diatribes. That's what having an open mind is, right?
yes, and proud of it :) although, i despise hillary clinton with a passion. ugh that woman makes me cringe. she is giving women everywhere a bad name.
open-mindedness is an absolute necessity. I rarely, if ever, agree with a typical 'conservative' viewpoint, but I find it essential to understand it in its entirety, and recognize why it is attractive to so many people. Otherwise you get rusty and you end up in the situation that the Bush Administration is in. They absolutely just cannot understand why more liberal people hold the opinions that they do, and therefore they have to rely on deceit and propaganda and sensationalism to sell their ideas. I took an economics course my freshmen year where I read a book by a more conservative economist, and it really altered my viewpoint on a lot of things. Because he approached it from that bleeding heart liberal standpoint (how can we really help these people), I was better able to comprehend conservative economic policies that I used to think were outrageous. Anyway! yes. we will be civil and respectful, even if i am always right : )
Oh, now you're asking for it. But we'll get along. I'm stubborn, but likable (not to sound conceited or anything).
Hooray! More smart people! This is a great place to refine your opinions. People will call you on them on a regular basis, which forces you to really think about the why behind the what.
So, welcome! Have fun! I'm looking forward to reading more!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Personally I've always had more of an intrest in Asia. As Einstein said "The future is in the hands of the sleeping giant." Anways Im new too. Have fun.