Obligatory post on the election

I have mixed feelings about the election this year. This is the first presidential election that I've really followed; I was away at school in 2000 and in Germany in 2004, so I didn't have either the desire or the opportunity to track the candidates' views on the issues, the scandals over misinterpreted speeches (i.e., "lipstick on a pig"), etc. Even though I did vote in the other two, I'm more invested in this one. Maybe it's a sign of maturity that I have actual views on the issues now, or maybe it's because I had to teach about American culture and politics that I've had the chance to figure out what I feel strongly about, and what I want a candidate to support. At any rate, my time isolated from American election politics has made it clear this time around:

1) How awesome the whole process is. It's a complicated, messed-up system that involves pandering to various subgroups of the population, lobbyists, and those who have the most money. Campaign funds play a disproportionately large role, and choosing who to vote for is generally choosing between the lesser of two evils. But where else do you see people so involved in the process? No matter who you support, there are camps upon camps of volunteers who make cold calls and send out mass mailings for no compensation other than the conviction that they're helping their candidate and, by extension, their country. I mean, where else can you see such an involvement in and dedication to the democratic process? (definitely not in Germany, where no one really cares either way about their representatives or what their government is doing, as long as they get to talk about how full of crap the US government is) It's pretty amazing. And watching people get so fired up is pretty cool; it reminds me that not everyone gets the same chance that we do to choose our own leaders*. (Seriously, WTF is with the parliamentary system? That's messed up.)

*cue national anthem*

BUT:

2) The whole process is incredibly dependent on the media. Spin, sound bytes, negative campaign ads vs. attack ads (apparently there's a difference??), newspaper endorsements, YouTube videos, SNL, and infomercials... campaigns depend on the media, and the media seem to depend on the candidates to keep people watching/reading. I wonder if this is a purely American thing; there were zero campaign ads in Germany, and I recall seeing AT MOST two or three in the UK. I actually didn't even know there was an election there until the day of, when we got a flyer under our door reminding us to vote. Even when it was time to elect a new mayor of London, there were no ads; he just suddenly appeared on the news one night as the new mayor. But here, the media plays such a huge role in US culture that I suppose it's only fitting that it plays a massive role in US politics and shaping history. The follow-up question to that, of course, is should the media assume the role it does, and how can we be sure we're getting unbiased information from any of the media outlets. (hello, Fox News!)

As a corollary to this, those political ads NEED TO STOP. Seriously. Along with the calls. Freaking SHUT UP already about Mesi, Ranzenhofer, Kryzan, Lee, Delano, Volker, Konst, etc., etc., ad nauseam.

I guess the point of all this rambling is that as much as I appreciate and am in awe of the process, I am SO ready for it to be over. Let's move on. Please?

*Yeah, yeah, let's ignore the Electoral College for the moment.

Three more things

...to add to yesterday's list:

11. Bacon. How could I forget bacon?! It's delicious!
12. Target.
13. Being able to watch TV shows over and over again online, without having to resort to some rather sketchy website from East Asia where I can't read any of the instructions. ("I wonder if this one means volume... Nope, that closed the window.")

Yes, I do realize that most of these revolve around food

Ten things I didn't realize I missed about the US:
1. (Non-alcoholic) Cider and donut holes.
2. Pumpkin carving.
3. The fact that everyone, kids and adults, gets into Halloween.
4. Not having to explain and/or defend the US, its government, or traditions like Thanksgiving or Halloween.
5. Tim Horton's. (all right, they're Canadian, but still)
6. Mulled cider. (yes, cider takes two places on this list, so sue me)
7. People acting not just polite, but friendly.
8. Watching current TV shows, on the day they air.
9. The vast variety of food that is Wegmans.
10. Newspapers with comic strips. (although they don't seem to be as funny as they used to be..)

Yes, it IS time to update more frequently

Scene: Starbucks in Dulles airport, half an hour after disembarking a 7-hour flight from London.

Me (mumbling through the jet lag): A grande mocha frappuccino, please.
Cashier: Okay, that'll be $4.20.
Me: *pause* But... it says $4.00 up there on the board.
Cashier: Uh, yeah, that's before tax.
Me: Right.

Welcome back to the US, land of infinite possibilities and taxation.