Stop Posting About Politics: Hot Takes

graphic by Maddox Mogenson

The only thing I wanted when I turned 13 and finally met the age requirement was a Facebook account — it would prove I had finally entered my teenage years. As soon as my birthday came, I downloaded the app, typed in my information and proceeded to follow almost all my mom’s friends — still sorry Mel, didn’t mean to leave you out of that glorified list.

But I soon realized Facebook hosted not only parents posting their children’s homecoming pictures, but also incessant political posts that nobody needed.

Everything from my right-winged grandma’s backhanded comments to my mom’s boss’ political-resistance-inspired tangents made their way onto my screen. Every time I tried scrolling to escape yet another post forcing opinions upon other people, another one would find itself in my timeline.

The only thing I wanted was for the nonstop politics to come to a halt. I hate to break it to all the Karens out there, but your backup to the president’s latest Tweet or your hatred towards anyone who disagrees with you doesn’t do anything but annoy people.

Four years ago, these posts were bearable, as I didn’t really understand them. But today they’re not only frustrating, but inescapable.

The typical post always starts with a news article — normally siding with the user’s opposite viewpoint. Always accompanied with the article is some “witty” caption that somehow attempts to gain agreement from fellow 50-year-old moms. The only reaction I get after reading about how “freedom isn’t free” is an eye roll.

Listen, I’m not trying to say that sharing political views should be excluded from everyday dialogue. Discussing beliefs and conversing about the future of the country are important things to do in today’s society. But Linda, seriously, I don’t care that you think every Democrat is a snowflake. I just don’t.

Linda’s weekly posts are nothing compared to the bloodbaths that occur during election season. September rolls around and every media outlet is ridden with horribly skewed political propaganda posts and commercials. If I listened to every false accusation that appeared in those posts and commercials, I wouldn’t vote for anyone due to their distorted pasts.

The only exception to these posts are those written by actual politicians spreading actual news — no, Donald, not you. Sometimes Facebook and Twitter are the best outlets to reach a younger crowd when politicians are trying to spread messages with actual consistency. I wouldn’t even know half of the Democratic presidential candidates if it weren’t for Twitter memes. I’m all for knowing more about our country’s political climate, but I’d like to stick to the facts, please.

But since I can’t control what pops up on my timeline, I guess I’ll have to suck it up and scroll through Cindy’s rants on immigration to see the Beyoncé fan group posts. A word of advice for the future generation: don’t follow your parents’ friends.