Intellectual Property Law

On Why I'm Ready for this Primary to Be Over

By Siva Vaidhyanathan

In general, I love politics. I love walking neighborhoods. I love following endorsements. I love staffing the polling place. I love the act of voting itself. I think bumper stickers and buttons are beautiful, and even lawn signs can be aesthetically pleasing. For fun, I watch political speeches on YouTube, read transcripts of hearings, and pore over government reports.

I love elections.

Except this one. I'm tired of it. When friends bring it up, I find myself changing the subject.

Why?

As a feminist, I'm tired of being told that I'm not.

As a digital rights advocate, I'm tired of being told that I'm focusing too much on a narrow issue that only affects a fractional elite.

As someone who studies public rhetoric seriously, I'm tired of being told that I go for style over substance.

As a reader and viewer of news sources and first-person testimony from around the world in more than one language, I'm tired of being told that I'm politically naive.

As someone who is suspicious of direct-mail campaigns that often distort messages and are frequently not vetted by critics, I'm tired of being told that I'm ill-informed.

As someone who's not, I'm especially tired of being told that I'm anti-Israel.

I've never wanted to travel forward in time at any other time in my life, but I'm ready to have the convention over with and be fighting real battles about the administration's failed ideology rather than squabbling among friends.

Full post as published by SIVACRACY .NET on April 19, 2008 (boomark / email).