Enough Already, Children
In this most wearisome of years few things have been more tedious than watching liberals everywhere melt down about politics, specifically over the upcoming election and the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Being emotionally overwrought has always been part of the American liberal vibe but it’s been made much worse by a toxic feelings cocktail of Trump Derangement Syndrome and COVID panic porn.
Seriously, the children are losing it, especially on Facebook.
Having spent most of my adult life working in the entertainment industry, I probably have more leftist friends than the average conservative. I’ve also lived in Democrat-heavy cities for the last few decades. I mean, I’m surrounded.
Facebook, as always, is the worst. My liberal comedian friends and relatives are all on Facebook and it’s become really difficult to not be dismissive of their childishness. I know that I don’t have to see what they’re posting but I am occasionally fascinated by the meltdowns. I’m also not on Facebook that much. When I am, though, it’s a real mental breakdown spectacle over there on the Left.
I am really disappointed in my comedian friends who are my age and sharing their ignorance-based nervous breakdowns. I have younger relatives who are Democrats and victims of the leftist fear-mongering. That’s understandable — they’re too young to know better. My friends who are older should know better.
Some of them aren’t casual acquaintances; we’re very close. For the most part, they’re all railing against media distortions or flat-out lies. They’re getting ulcers over concerns that are not reality-based. I honestly can’t tell if they’re really buying into all of the hysteria. I’d like to think that people I’ve known for years and know to be intelligent haven’t let the irrational politics of emotion completely rot their brains.
I posted on Facebook the other day that I feel as if I’m overseeing the world’s largest toddler daycare center and we just ran out of goldfish crackers.
I can’t do it anymore. I can’t pretend that everything is OK while they’re all acting out and screaming about things that aren’t true. I’m tired of babysitting in the name of friendship.
Never once have I ended a friendship over politics and I am not going to start doing that now. That’s a lefty thing. I have a good friend here who won’t talk to me right now because ORANGE MAN BAD. It hurts, and I don’t think it will be easily remedied no matter how the election turns out.
While I won’t be ending any friendships over politics, I am going to need some time off regardless of the outcome of the election. There are consequences to trafficking in overwrought hyperbole and making blanket accusations about groups of people that include good friends.
They’re getting a timeout after next Tuesday. I don’t know for how long, I just know that I need it. This saddens me because one of them is one of my best friends and we’re working on a few projects together. But this has to happen or I fear there will be things said that neither of us can take back.
I know my limitations.
I’m not mad, I’m just tired of all of it. A little away time seems like the mature thing to do.
Now I just have to make sure that I don’t get resentful about the fact that they’ve forced me to be the grownup in the room.
___
Kruiser Twitter
Kruiser Facebook
PJ Media Senior Columnist and Associate Editor Stephen Kruiser is the author of “Don’t Let the Hippies Shower” and “Straight Outta Feelings: Political Zen in the Age of Outrage,” both of which address serious subjects in a humorous way. Monday through Friday he edits PJ Media’s “Morning Briefing.” His columns appear twice a week.
