Should Writers Talk Politics? - Poem
The election season is getting closer, which means one thing,
Madness.
Pure and utter madness.
Cue the guy who says, “THIS IS SPARTA!” really loud.
This isn’t Sparta.
This is America.
We don’t kick people down holes.
We don’t have to, because we have guns.
This chaos will produce so many lies for truths, truths for lies, and allegations and interpretations, that I can’t keep up with it all.
I would like to even hire someone to tell me just what the hell is going on.
“They are talking about what now?
The color of the baseball team uniforms? What does that have to do with anything?”
You all know the lines that these politicians will tell you in order to get your vote.
Vote for me because that other guy is bad.
Hatred of the opponent is practically expected at this point.
Vote for me because I am great.
Which is also expected at this point.
Vote for me because I can help this country.
Which they all promise.
The other guy stinks.
I am great.
I can help you.
Did you get all of that?
This election is the most important ever, in case you need to be reminded.
There is no election more important than this one.
No other election was more important in the history of elections.
Besides that last one.
Oh, and the one before that one.
Oh, and that other one before that one.
Besides those other elections that we all said were the most important elections ever…
This election is the most important ever.
You know I am starting to sense that they want me to think this election is the most important thing ever regardless of who runs.
There will never be an election where both candidates look at each other and say, “You know this isn’t really the end-all, be-all.
The sun will still rise tomorrow.
The world will continue to turn.
No matter if either of us wins.
Everything will be fine.
And who are we all kidding here? We politicians are just happy when a lot of you show up.”
Should a writer like myself, who enjoys free-verse and short stories over political quarrels and policies, give my opinion of my political stance?
Would you view me differently if I were red?
How about if I were blue?
What if I tell you I don’t vote?
What if I say that I am the first person to vote?
And we haven’t even gotten to the juicy stuff yet…
I am pro-life.
I am pro-choice.
I am pro-guns.
I am anti-guns.
I am pro-America.
I am anti-America.
I am for the immigrants.
I am against immigrants.
I support Israel.
I am against Israel.
I want to go to war.
I hate war.
Education means a lot to me.
Education means nothing to me.
I am a Marxist.
I am anti-Marxism.
I am worried about healthcare.
I don’t care about healthcare.
I love where this nation is going.
I hate where this nation is going.
Foreign policy is key to me.
Foreign policy is irrelevant to me.
I support Black Lives Matter.
I support Blues Lives Matter.
I’m voting Biden.
I’m voting Trump.
I’m not voting.
Where should a writer stand when it comes to politics?
Politics; the very thing that runs our world.
Politics; the thing that has an impact on every aspect of our lives.
That politics.
Is it okay for a writer to go on a political diatribe in an otherwise apolitical forum?
Should this blog, a literary blog, even touch politics?
Should we act like the election doesn’t exist?
Close our eyes and then maybe the monsters, I mean, politicians will disappear.
I say no.
As a storyteller, as a poet, as a writer, I say that the priority should be the words.
Not the agenda that is put forward.
I should be focused on producing the best articles for you to read.
Not getting your vote.
Not convincing you of who is a better candidate.
When the story is not a political story, when the poem has nothing to do with voting, when the article is not about a candidate or the election, then a writer is not obligated to put in their two cents for their political views.
Cause honestly, as a reader…
I don’t give a shit.
I am not reading your fantasy novel with dragons and witches, or your literary novel with workplace humor, to hear your take on abortion.
Or to hear you go on a rant about gun control.
Or for you to give me the lowdown on immigration.
And if a writer’s rant about healthcare really has that big of an impact on you, then you need to do more research on healthcare. (or whatever that topic is)
You shouldn’t read Hamlet and then think, “Boy, we really have to change how we all look at suicide. We should change the law because of that speech.”
The best advice any artist can give a person concerning politics is to tell them that their own education is the most important thing.
Now, this doesn’t mean that a writer can’t touch these areas.
They can.
They have.
And they will continue to do so.
As I have made clear, politics is a massive force in our world.
It is almost supernatural for a writer not to talk about politics ever.
A writer should understand the audience’s expectations, though.
If it is not a political book, then the readers probably don’t want you to make a big deal of political stuff.
Having said all of that, I am excited to write a few political pieces on this blog in the coming month.
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About The Blogger
Greg Luti is the Editor-In-Chief of this blog. He lives in America. He has never been to Sparta. He'd rather be writing scary stories than political ones.
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