Politically Homeless - The Sad Reality
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 51:
5/18/23
Growing up in rural Indiana is something I have always been proud of. I love my hometown, and I am incredibly blessed to have grown up alongside so many great people in a community that had so many traditional values that were instilled from a young age. These have served me well throughout my young adult life and have made me the man I am today. I could not have been more grateful to have been surrounded by such kind and honest salt-of-the-earth people who I shared meals with, rooms with, and countless hours and days within this community. But within the last few years, something has happened gradually but very overtly: these same people had become increasingly angry and bitter. And almost every conversation turns quickly into a political battle.
At the influence of my friends, I was a staunch right winger. My beliefs then are very similar to that of the right wing movement today: no abortions ever for any reason. The more guns the better. Government is always the enemy and never to be trusted. Ronald Reagan sits at the right hand of Jesus in heaven, despite the fact that Reaganism is long gone in today’s GOP.
My parents were blended politically which made my life as a teen growing up in the Bush and then the Obama years very confusing. My mom is a conservative and my dad a liberal. While my dad voted for Obama and did so proudly, my mother resented him and would often point out at inopportune times every flaw she could. My dad, choosing not to engage, would brush it off.
But I was a kid then. I was surrounded by likeminded people in my small community who had never traveled abroad, never befriended someone of a different race or religion, and never got to know someone with a different point of view as a friend. It wasn’t until I went off to college that I was exposed to other points of view where I really began to grow.
Don’t worry, this isn’t a story about me going to college, becoming a tree-hugging liberal, and saying it’s because I’m “more educated” than those rubes in the community I grew up in. That’s not my story at all, and I hate when people look down on rural and blue-collar Americans who are the backbone of this country. In my case, I became more grounded in my conservative beliefs. But in today’s wild political landscape, that also alienated me from the Republican Party that I had always aligned myself. And if college did anything for me, it made me more compassionate to the messiness that is life, and challenged me to think critically rather than ideologically.
Right before I graduated from my beloved alma mater Purdue University, Donald Trump had taken the oath of office and politics in our country were about to take a deep southward turn. I watched as the people that I knew and loved made a deal with the devil to keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House by electing the most unelectable and undeserving candidate in our time. I watched in disbelief as people I had known as the same salt-of-the-earth people who have always held a special place in my heart, began flying the flag of the guy who stands for so much of what I stand against.
But if I’m honest, part of me couldn’t blame them.
For decades, America’s heartland had been subjected to snobbery from those on the coasts. Whether it was mainstream media’s blatant disregard for important stories in America’s heartland, elected officials pursuing a diversity agenda favoring minorities while ignoring the millions of hurting poor white Americans, or corporations laying off workers without college degrees in favor of recent grads despite thirty years of experience, America’s heartland had simply had enough of the snobbery. We watched as our values of church, family, and duty became parody and mockery to those on late night television. Eventually, my people had seen enough and it was time to give the middle finger.
The sad reality is that the opposing Democratic Party did not learn the lessons that led us to this awful division, but instead doubled down. Today’s Democrats have chosen to continue down the road of radicalism that stands antithetical to the traditional values of marriage, family, and church that I have always believed. They promote the idea that we should accept an identity over merit economy, and that men can be women. To be frank, I simply cannot get on board with the message that they are sending. I joke with friends that there must be a place in American politics that welcomes people who believe that gender is binary, and political views are not.
I am proud of where I’m from, and I love the people who call the red states home. We are flyover Country, and we are home to the best people on earth. I wish that our politics would reflect the best of America because there’s so much good out there. But unfortunately, I have found myself out on the street when it comes to our politics – without a home, and without anyone looking to bring me into theirs.
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.
This is another post by a (n educated_) person who has no clue. The writer seems to think that politics is like church membership. No, it's not. Political parties were initially founded in order to promote particular political ideologies, not to provide a "home" for people. We, not me but many, base their politics on personalities rather than competency and ability to actually run something. People rave about Donald Trump because he is a public person. Prior to radio, voters had no clue whatsoever what a candidate actually was, then television increased the personification. Women often vote based more on looks than anything else. I heard a female DJ say the day Bill Clinton was elected that she voted for him because he could touch his nose with his tongue. In the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton was favored mainly because she's a woman, even though her corruption was widely known. We got Biden mainly because he wasn't Trump (he is worse.) By the way, there is only ONE national election, and it's actually a compilation of numerous local elections all over the country for electors. As for political division, it's always been there but now we have the Internet to stir the pot and bring it to the attention of more people.
Thank you for sharing your story. Braver Angels (www.braverangels.org) would be proud to welcome you into “our home,” a place where Americans of all political perspectives are dedicated to ending the division and toxicity in our politics, and come together to better understand each other, see the humanity in each other, and find common ground, if it exists.