(disclaimer – this post is about process, not any party or political candidate)
It’s OK if you feel proud today. It’s OK if you feel disgusted today. It’s OK if you feel anxious today. It’s Election Day in the United States, and we’re anything but united.
I worked in radio for nearly 4 decades. I loved being a radio personality, loved working with news professionals who upheld standards of excellence that included using impartial languaging, no matter what their personal politics were, and especially loved the volume knob for the studio speakers during the political seasons. Turning the speakers down – way down! – during the political ads was how I stayed sane until each election season was over.
There have always been negative political ads. Why? Because it’s the wild west where lying is concerned, media outlets make a LOT of money on political advertising, and because negative political ads work.
Some negative ads are designed to make those who would vote for the opposition so disgusted that they stay home on election day.
Some negative ads string together out-of-context clips of things the opposition candidate actually said, making it sound like the message is dark and sinister.
Some negative ads can flat-out lie about the opposition candidate without any consequences. Why? Because the ad isn’t selling anything so truth-in-advertising laws don’t apply, and because in the US, we have freedom of speech that includes the right to lie.
Listening to the political ads, you’d think that as a nation we’re nuts – if these candidates are so horrible, why are they even on the ballot? Yet here we are, another election day where we either vote or we don’t, and we choose one candidate or the other, along with voting the rest of the ballot. Some of us vote the rest of the ballot and can’t bring ourselves to choose either of the Presidential candidates.
That’s OK, too – maybe it will send a message to both parties that Americans would really like better choices, please, or at least a more civil process.
In the midst of the political minefield, how do you take care of you? How do you manage to love someone you disagree with politically? How do you accept as a leader someone you wouldn’t sit down to dinner with? And how do you manage the disappointment you might feel? Here are three episodes of the Wellbeing Wisdom Tiny Bites podcast with some ideas:
Want help finding your grace? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Need a reminder of the different types of leaders? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Feeling bad about choices you’ve made? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Subscribe to the world's second-shortest podcast to get wagalicious success tools every day! Apple Spotify YouTube
When the polls close tonight, it’s all over but the counting. No matter what happens, here’s hoping that Americans can accept the results calmly and that the candidates will behave with decorum and class, and that we can all find our grace and share it with each other.
Oh, and here’s hoping there’s no need for a run-off!
Wags,
Sandy Weaver
The Voice of Wagaliciousness
PS...want more? Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Soul Sessions podcast, a weekly mental spa treatment for your total self!
