Inspired.

I've never ever been one to get thoroughly involved in politics or other popular debatable topics. I have been classically conditioned to freeze like a deer in the headlights when I am confronted with my beliefs on these sorts of subjects for a few reasons. Firstly, I feel that politics in general is obviously a subject that many people are extremely passionate about... to the point where I often feel uncomfortable expressing myself in fear of being attacked by opposite view points. Discussing politics is, in essence, extremely similar to discussing religion, in my opinion. I believe that no one else has the right to tell you whether your opinion is right or wrong on these subjects because these topics are so subjective. They are directly based on the thoughts and feelings of each individual person. In my experience, many times when I have expressed a view antithetical to the one of my fellow conversationalist in the past, I have been immediately "attacked" for having the wrong thoughts and feelings. "Who is this person to tell me what I should be thinking or feeling?" is the first thing that usually pops into my head. Because I feel so defensive, I usually shut my mouth and try to change the topic of conversation immediately because I tend to be extremely un-confrontational. Arguing and fighting is definitely at the bottom of my favorite things-to-do list! The other reason why i tend to shy away from openly discussing my political views is because I openly admit that I am not educated enough on the fundamentals of politics to truly hold a debate-worthy conversation. Compared to those who feel an extreme passion for politics, I have a very poor understanding of what makes up our government and how it is able to operate efficiently. Besides the political science courses I took in college, I truly have no further education on our political system (and to be honest, I have a hard time finding the desire to do much research on the subject.)

With all that said, I feel like I have had a more than huge interest in this up and coming election because I truly do feel a connection to Barrack Obama and his efforts to save our country from a recession. He has inspired me to research the subjects that I feel passionate about and get involved in our future, even if it is on such a basic, individual level. I feel like a ton of Americans who, similar to me, have been disuaded by the potential harshness of politics and who have shyed away from openly discussing their viewpoints in fear of attack, have had a key interest in this election because they finally feel a personal connection to a presidential candidate. There has got to be a huge population of the United States who lack the proper understanding of politics and how the government works. Even with as much research as I have done and with political science courses under my belt, I still feel completely unqualified to truly discuss the core values of the political issues that need fixing. So, I tend to focus mostly on the personal connection I feel to Obama when I watch him speak. Am I the only one? When he says that this is the time for change, I honestly feel like he means it. Without choosing democrat or republican, I have from the very beginning, looked at both candidates with an open mind and I truly feel like Obama is so REAL. You can SEE how passionate he is when he speaks to Americans. It is a kind of emotion I feel McCain tries to force out of himself, which ultimately results in him feeling robotic, condescening and rehearsed. I think many Americans notice this aspect of McCain's personality immediately. After watching Obama's speeches and debates within the last few months, his commercial last night really hit me. I was holding back tears during some points in that 30-minute special. Like he said, he won't be able to be the perfect president but he will always promise to be honest with us. Isn't that what we all have been craving? Someone to just be honest with us? He is standing up for the middle class, for those of us who are struggling so badly...and I can see and feel that. I think many Americans can feel it too. There is a bonding that is happening across races and genders throughout the United States that I am lucky enough to witness on a daily basis while walking these ethnically-diverse city streets of NYC.

I'm expressing my opinions on my blog because...well...HEY! It's MY blog! I don't have to worry about people screaming at me to my face. I think everyone is open to their own opinion and I will never try to convince someone to change their view points to ones similar to my own. I just finally feel passionate about something I've never really cared about before.... and it's so exciting.

I found this earlier today...for those of you Obama-lovers, you might enjoy the pictures.