There is little to be said about American politics in 2016 that hasn’t already been covered by someone, somewhere. It doesn’t matter whether one’s opinion is conservative or liberal, based on truth or fallacies, idiotic or not.
The fact of the matter is, everyone had a lot to say this year.
We’ve been over-saturated with politics on TV, alerts on our smartphones, Twitter and what people have deemed to be “news” on Facebook.
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Even since the election ended, politics are everywhere. For those of us who believe Trump was the wrong choice, the scramble to figure out how to prevent anything catastrophic has begun.
Since major news outlets called the presidential race, millions began to panic over the horrific Trump cabinet picks, the future of the Democratic Party and the terrifying domestic and international consequences of electing Donald Trump to the presidency.
And honestly, people are right to panic to some extent.
There will be real, global consequences from this president and the cabinet the president-elect picks.
Anyone who claimed, “It doesn’t matter who we elect, nothing will change,” should be prepared to eat their words, because this is not going to be pretty.
Minorities, the LGBTQ community and women in this country all face threats many thought were in the past.
In coming weeks and months, it will be time to start figuring out ways to work together in order to make sure this man does as little damage to our friends, our families and our country as possible.
That’s why it might be smart to take some time off over the Holidays.
I know that it might sound foolish to take a break from politics, but really think for a second about how often politics play a role in your life.
Even if you didn’t have the traditional family Thanksgiving debate on politics, I would venture to guess that you see politics every hour you are awake of every day, even if you don’t realize it.
Over Thanksgiving break, I recognized how over-saturated my life has been with politics, and I tried to separate myself for the long weekend.
It certainly wasn’t easy, especially considering how prevalent political posts on Facebook have become, but it did help me to better remember all the good going on in my own life and how important it will be to preserve the future of our country over the next four years.
Frankly, I came out of that break feeling politically refreshed, ready to deal with what comes our way when we get to January.
I would urge anyone reading this to do the same.
Take a deep breath, get off of your smartphone and focus on other things. The next four years won’t be easy, so do not take this next month-and-a-half for granted.
Connor Touhey ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science, history and journalism.
