Remembering all the Friends I’ve Lost This Campaign Season
Written by John Voelz, Posted in Uncategorized
I’d like to take the time to remember all the friends I’ve lost during this campaign season. The ones who no longer want to converse with me. Because, I obviously support someone other than their candidate.
- The one who heard me say I liked a funny thing Jimmy Fallon did and labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
- The one who heard me say I liked a funny thing Jimmy Fallon did and labeled me a TRUMP supporter.
- The one who heard me say I liked something Bernie Sanders said and labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
- The one who, when I made a joke about deleting my emails—not connected to any famous email deletion event—thought it was funny and labeled me a TRUMP supporter.
- The one who, when I made a joke about deleting my emails—not connected to any famous email deletion event—thought it wasn’t funny and labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
- The one who when I said something about how my dad is a “hard working business owner who works harder than anyone I know and has never asked for a handout” thought I was talking like a republican and labeled me a TRUMP supporter.
- The one who, when I made a joke about my own not-a-jock-at-all-and-wishing-I-was-never-in-a-locker-room-to-begin-with locker room talk labeled me a HILLARY supporter. And a baby killer.
- The one who—when I referred to Trump’s “2 (two) Corinthians” comment as not a big deal and remarked I’ve heard some of my favorite theologians say that many times—labeled me a TRUMP supporter.
- The one who, when I liked a post someone else made on Facebook because it was thoughtful labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
- The one who saw I was friends with someone else on Facebook and labeled me a TRUMP supporter.
- The one who—when I said I loved it when Bill Clinton played music on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1992—labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
- The one who thought being a Christian made me a TRUMP supporter.
- The one who when I said, “Dear, Lord. Being a Christian does not make me a TRUMP supporter or a republican for that matter,” thought I was taking sides and labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
- The one who when I covered a political song in a coffee shop labeled me a TRUMP supporter.
- The one who saw my daughter’s posts about Hillary and labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
- The one who knows I’m pro-life so they labeled me a TRUMP supporter.
- The one who—when I said I understood a certain act of protest—labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
- The one who heard me say way early in the campaign and before the primaries heard me say that I was “undecided but loved some things Bernie was saying” and labeled me a SOCIALIST.
- The one who when I made a comment about valuing human life assumed I meant I was talking about abortion and labeled me a TRUMP supporter but then later found out I meant all human life including immigrants and moms on welfare and labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
- The one who when I made a comment about valuing women thought I was making a comment about TRUMP and labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
- The one who heard me say I liked an SNL sketch and labeled me a HILLARY supporter.
Remember when I shitposted a raging anonymous comment on your blog? Oh man. The good ol’ days. You’ve taught me a lot about extending grace and forgiveness. I’m grateful.
I love it, JVo! This is right on 🙂 … and it has only intensified since you wrote it.
Good stuff John. Labels suck. I guess the problem is that most people are perfectly comfortable wearing a label, and in turn, must fabricate and place labels on others as well. Like many others, I didn’t like either candidate. Are these two really the best and brightest America has to offer?! It was like choosing between two methods of suicide: Would you like to take poison or would you prefer a gun? (Though I don’t know which is which in this analogy). I’d like to hear more of your thoughts on labels. Next blog post?