So we’re in college and election year is supposed to be a big deal. And while there are student groups who appear to give a damn, there are still others (the majority) that couldn’t care less. And who can blame them? We can only be as interested as the rest of the nation. And where the national campaign for our future president is concerned, America is only interested in the gossip.
What we have done is manage to turn even the most important political decision of the next four years into a media frenzy like all others. Instead of focusing on the candidates’ qualifications, ideas for our country and stances on the important issues, we made it a tabloid war-one that is also making stops on every daytime TV couch in the country. Case in point, Barack and Michelle Obama are currently involved in a dance war on “Ellen.”
When John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, we were all beside ourselves. “OMG a woman!” We thought he was leveling the playing field by applying Palin’s former beauty-queen charms to the moderate young Republican voter. But rather than dissect Palin’s experience and rate her opinions with our country’s best interests in mind, we instead started buying glasses.
In a report Wednesday on CNN, the Alaska optician who fitted Palin with her famous spectacles said the potential second in command chose her Kawasaki rims out of about 300 choices. Opticians around the country are reporting four times more sales of “the Palins.”
This woman could very well be the leader of the United States in the likely case that two-time melanoma survivor McCain kicks the bucket and we’re treating her like Jennifer Aniston circa 1995! Whether or not Palin is qualified-a determination that may never be made-she is, for the time being, a potential leader of our nation. Her fashion sense should not be the main headline and her accessories not treated with the same enthusiasm as “the Rachel.” What about her stand on abortion? What about natural selection or intelligent design?
What about us?
McCain, who just weeks earlier chided his opponent for being a “celebrity,” is featured on the most recent cover of “Us Weekly.” The scandal over what “The View’s” resident annoyance Elisabeth Hasselbeck may have implied about Michelle Obama in her speech at a luncheon for Cindy McCain at the Republican National Convention took up more time on the pundits’ TV shows. And what is up with lipstick-gate?! At least Anderson Cooper’s panel last night had enough sense to shut him down, deeming this the non-issue it really is.
Perhaps as we get closer to Nov. 4, we should all remember that these candidates hold our futures in their hands. Sure, it’s fun to gossip, read “Us Weekly” and watch VH1. But what we need to do as the youth of this country is click away from Perez Hilton and actually give a damn. Leave the gossip to Brangelina, who can adopt Bristol’s illegitimate child once the election is over.