By Kevin Shea
I titled the email I sent out for The Apollos “Post-Political Depression.” I have decided to ignore the political situation we are currently in. Personally, I would have liked to see Senator Sanders in the White House; I believed he was our best bet. But the election has come and passed, and a tumultuous election season from all sides of the political realm – Democrat, Republican, Green Party, and every other political group – has left me wanting to take a step back from the anger. I assumed others would feel the same. Hence the title: Post-Political Depression. Depression, in this sense, referring to the drop in individuals paying attention to politics, not a medical depression.
Below, you, the reader, will find the cropped screenshots of the survey that was filled out. There are 100 total responses to each question (the most Survey Monkey will allow). What you will find is that around half of those who answered have changed how often they view or discuss politics since the election. Although a few more people view and discuss it less, some have become more interested in politics. Of course, this isn’t representative of the entire population of PSC, but it offers a glimpse into the aftermath of Apocalypse 2016.
It is my hope that, regardless of who one voted for in November, that we can now take some time to relax, stop shouting, and discuss as opposed to react. Far too often we chose a smarta** response, or threw a fit, that we never understood what those around us thought or believed. I am guilty of this. But it is no longer us versus them. We have to learn to talk.
Regardless of who you voted for, or how often you discuss and participate in politics, take some time to calm down. No one is in imminent danger. Watch an episode of Game of Thrones, or read the book American Psycho. Allow your mind and body to recover from the election season. You deserve it! When you’re ready, get back out there and chat away about the sexy topic of taxes, but this time, don’t explode over the mention of Hillary’s email scandal. She’s over it, and you should be, too.
