Always Been Politically Homeless

Real people, real letters, real problems, no solutions.

Politics these days have become so divided and divisive that it’s become the norm to view the other side of the aisle as “the enemy”. People are being told to “pick a side” and that there’s no room for middle ground. We here at Phetasy believe that there are a lot more people in the middle than politicians and the media would have us believe.

We’re collecting stories from the ever growing number of people who are finding themselves Politically Homeless and posting them here on Substack. If you have moved from conservative to liberal, or liberal to conservative, if you feel you’ve stayed in the same place and your party has swerved drastically away from you, if you had a moment that awakened you to the insanity and hypocrisy on both sides, if you keep your mouth shut anytime a political topic comes up because you’re afraid your opinion will cause you to lose friends or your job, you’re not as alone as you might think.

Our goal is to shine a light on people’s earnest, individual experiences and show them they’re not alone.

Some letters have been edited for clarity and brevity. If you’re politically homeless and would like to share your story, please email us at iampoliticallyhomeless@gmail.com. All submissions will remain anonymous.

Letter 16:

Dear Bridget and the Phetasy Family,

First and foremost, I am a big fan. Since your first Rogan appearance, Dumpster Fire has been my favorite place for political and social commentary (not news!). I've watched every episode, some twice.  

Your show resonates with me because I have been politically homeless for as long as I have had a political opinion. When I was in seventh grade my school held a mock election, this was 2004 so Bush vs. Kerry. I remember talking to my friends about who they were voting for. Nobody really thought about it, just voting for whomever their parents were. Being the contrarian that I am, I decided to launch a fervent campaign in favor of Ralph Nader. My campaign was on the grounds that he will never win a real election so we should at least give him this win in a middle school mock election. I was actually pretty successful, he didn't win but he did beat G.W. (I was in western Washington so most were voting for Kerry). 

These days I am in my thirties, still politically homeless, maybe more so.  It really blows my mind how partisan people are. There are no good guys/gals in politics. There may be a few decent people, but the bunch is rotten and the rot spreads to the good ones. If someone is wholesale supporting one side and demonizing the other, they're missing the mark. The way people pick a side and blindly follow it leads me to believe that they are putting as much thought into it now, as adults, as my classmates were back in seventh grade. There is such a frustrating amount of hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle. The left accuses the right of supporting the party of "racism and bigotry" but they actively ignore when a democrat spouts something racist. The right is all about personal rights and freedoms until it comes to reproductive rights. I started associating with libertarianism for a time, and still do a bit, for example, I voted for Jo Jorgenson in the last election. But even in that sphere, I don't think I fit in. There's all this talk about "big L" and "little L" libertarians, which, I don't understand and don't really care to. While not as strong as in the republican party, there is still an anti-LGBT sentiment in some libertarian circles. Now I'm not LGBT, but I am by no means anti-LGBT. In right-wing and some libertarian circles, anytime a gay character is in a movie or a show there's a huge uproar, which I think is ridiculous. 

Which brings me to the topic of gender. As I said, I am very much pro-LGBT, and that includes the T. The transgender debate is such a hot-button issue these days. It feels like the right is looking for any excuse to point at a trans person and shout "groomer!" Likewise, the left feels like they are looking for any excuse to shout "transphobe!" or even worse, "violence!" at anything that challenges the ideology. I personally believe that consenting adults should be allowed to do more or less what they please when it comes to their bodies and their romances. However, there are parts of the leftist gender ideology that I have to fundamentally reject due to logical inconsistencies. I reject the notion that gender is a social construct. You can't be born identifying with a social construct, you attain that identification socially. If gender is a social construct, that would mean that transgender people are not born transgendered, they would have to be socialized to be transgender. This belief actually lends credence to the notion that the trans community can "groom" people into transition. I believe that transgender people are born trans and should be accepted as such. 

I could write a book of my feelings on these topics and more but I feel like I'm starting to ramble so I'll wrap it up. I don't hate anyone for their political opinions. What I do hate is the division. I hate that so many Americans hate so many other Americans. I hate that people in the middle get written off as indecisive fence-sitters. I hate that the aforementioned issue prevents any centrist politician from ever being taken seriously. I feel like I'm watching the country fall apart and the reds and the blues are just fighting over who can smash the foundation the fastest. 

I really appreciate what you ladies do and the space you provide for us politically homeless. Thank you for reading my rant, I'll see you on the next Dumpster Fire.

Regards,

Politically Homeless

Some letters have been edited for clarity and brevity. If you'd like to share your story, email us at iampoliticallyhomeless@gmail.com. All submissions will remain anonymous.