In looking for the image above to include in this blog, I came across an interesting article regarding the history of these two political logos at FactMonster.com. Something you see all the time but do you ever wonder how/why these two images were chosen?
Another thing that I have learned from researching this blog is that there are actually six candidates that you will find on the ticket, not just two. These are: Barack H Obama, Jr (Democrat), John S McCain III (Republican), Ralph Nader (Independent), Robert L Barr, Jr (Libertarian), Cynthia Ann McKinney (Green), Charles O. Baldwin (Constitution). All of them have running mates but obviously not all of them have enough money to lead big campaigns and to get themselves recognized enough to be considered in the running. That is a shame I think. They may (or may not) bring more to the table than the two candidates at hand. However, they may also force the two we see all the time to talk about issues that they otherwise sidestep with political flair. (***Side note – I find humor in the sites tagged above because you can find out their first car driven, their favorite color, etc – personal facts that are not politically motivated but add a human nature to the man/woman within the suit…interesting).
The real reason for my blog contains no party-biased political agenda. It is only one of my ponderances during this campaign season. I will not even tell you who it is I am voting for (so those of you who do not know me can write off my blog by in some way insinuating that it has meanings that lie against the opposing party).
My ponderance is not necessarily a completely formed concept but more or less an observance of the bitter hatred that some of the followers of ALL candidates display online. Those of you who know me know that I love to read, I love to take something (a concept for instance) and turn it over in my mind…over and over, trying to learn the various workings. It is in that train of thought that I have looked at the recent campaign. With information served up in fashions never seen before in a campaign (YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, greater research capabilities on the internet, Blogs galore, etc) we are no longer forced to rely on the evening news, daily newspapers, debates, rallies or the litany of political ads. Now we can research everything from where the candidates stand on the issues, campaign funding, etc. There are also scores of websites that have a plethora of information available. Some lean to the left, some to the right, while some claim to be unwavering in their want of delivering only the facts and not opinions.
I like being informed. And though I have chosen my candidate I will still read what is circulating from the opposing candidates. This allows me to see my candidate through the eyes of his opposition. Recently, while looking at items on YouTube and reading blogs on WordPress – I forwarded an entry to my friend that I believed he would find interesting. His reply took me to darker side of this campaign. He said – Michelle, have you ever scrolled down to read the comments that are left by people? They are terrible… So began my dive into the nasty hatred that is served up on a platter by anyone who has an opinion. And though I am a firm believer that everyone has the right to an opinion, there should be a line drawn when it comes to an utterly despicable nature that has no intention other than to cause hurt to particular readers. I believe that by being anonymous (as on the internet) a person obviously feels free enough to make comments that “in the real world” (for lack of a better phrase) they would never be able to have the gumption to utter. I have seen comments that range from racist to sexist to just plain mean spirited.
During this last week of the race of the century, I ask that once you look at a video or read an article, you then scroll to the comments. And if you find a reason for the hatred and mean spiritedness that allows a person to spew the things that are said – please explain that reason to me so that I can feel better about some of my fellow internetters. Because, to me, it just does not make sense.
In my rough draft of this blog I had included various blogs and articles which contained venomous comments. In thinking it over, I decided not to include for fear of offending. It does not take much to find the comments I speak of. Most all news site articles allow comments, most all blog sites allow comments. I just find it utterly amazing.
Thoughts and Ponderances 
Whenever I see comments like that in a forum or blog – unreasonable name calling- I want to apologize for my profession (teaching). I have noted that was as a nation are loosing the ability to be skeptics and think critically about information that we absorb. More and more we seem to pick our affiliations and fall in line to cheer for our team often based on spurious criteria. I don’t think this election deviated from that, although I think this election brought us closer to a true dialog than any I can remember. Regrettably it also had some of the most inflammatory rhetoric as well.