Politically Homeless - Completely Lost Recently

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 27:

9/21/20

This will be long and rambling and might make no sense. I don't write and it's mostly train of thought.

I like to think of myself as a good person. I at least try to be. I've been completely lost recently. I've never really cared about politics and still absolutely refuse to vote for someone that I don't believe in. Voting for the lesser of two evils is wrong. It is not what you're supposed to do. The idea of, “If you don't vote for my guy then you're voting for the other one,” pisses me off.  And I see it from both sides. Apparently I'm voting for Trump AND Biden in November. Actually I'm not. I'm just skipping that question altogether.  

Part of me really wants to see Trump win again. Just because the Dems apparently didn't learn ANYTHING 4 years ago. Everyone knew Hillary was going to win. There was no question about it. Until election night. And then instead of immediately working on finding a decent candidate, someone that people could get behind, someone that can actually think for himself and string together a full sentence, and isn't just yet another old white out of touch rich guy.......  

But I worry about what will happen in this country if Biden doesn't win. Not because of the person in the White House but because of all the people that now think throwing a tantrum is the way to go. We are a nation of 4 yr olds that need a nap.  

And I have nowhere to go with this. I don't want to lose any friends. I don't care what they think even when I don't agree with them. And I'm nice enough to not call anyone out because I don't believe in being a dick. But I have no idea what they'd think of my non-extreme views. I've been snoozing people on FB. Not mad at them, don't want to be mad at them. But just oh so horribly sick and tired of seeing things like #votehimout. I just want to scream THAT IS NOT HOW THIS IS SUPPOSED TO WORK!

I'm tired of censoring myself. I didn't even fully realize that's what I was doing until I was listening to the Zuby podcast. And it made me mad. Why do I not "get" to share my thoughts and opinions with a wider audience then my dogs and husband? I have always had issues with "all whoevers are good/bad." And yes it's both. I hate the job-based hero worship as much as I hate the race/sex/whatever else derision. 

The thing that really made me notice the censoring was when I wanted to post that I really don't like rainbows—as in, as a color scheme. Bright primary 8 box of crayons in the order they come out of the box is predictable and boring and just not my thing. I've studied color. I have a great eye for it. I like much more subulty and variation and unexpected. But. But. But. If I said online that I don't like rainbows that wouldn't have been what I was talking about. I would have been attacking someone. Or a lot of someones. Or entire groups of people who just happen to share one facet of themselves and so are now tied together in all things.  

And that gets me onto the next point. The lack of nuance or room for conflicting views or multiple layers of beliefs. If you're black then you must all think X, if you're a woman, if you're gay, if you own a gun, if you're Christian......  for fucks sake. I'm an individual. So is everyone else. Why do people insist on grouping and classifying everyone? 

And the political system in this country just strengthens and perpetuates it. Reporting doesn't help. I've never seen a bill get passed/rejected without hearing about party lines or who crossed the aisle. I thought their job was to represent their state. And the interestes of their state. Not just fall in line with their friends. Maybe helpful info:  I'm from NJ. So I've always known just how corrupt and ugly politics are. 4 yrs ago everyone was crying about the mud slinging and how bad it was and I thought it was tame.  

I feel a bit better. I didn't realize just how alone and isolated I've been feeling. I'm still going to not be a dick online. Especially towards people who are my friends. Even if I think they're being a bit ridiculous and over the top at times. But it's nice to know I'm not actually alone. And I don't have to run away. Especially since it would just be into my own head.  

Sincerely,

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.