It’s Gonna Get Worse Before it Gets Better
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My wife, my friends, and family are wonderful, intelligent, very understanding people.
They have to be. They’re dealing with me; and I’m a handful.
They know that I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a child, and that blogging on Patch has afforded me an opportunity to find my voice as a writer.
They know that I do this for enjoyment and entertainment (I am a blogger, not a reporter), and as someone with the far-fetched hope that someone would read something I’ve written here and offer me a break as a writer. My friends and family have read and shared these blogs, along with countless other things I’ve written throughout the years, because they are supportive of me.
They’re also very understanding, very patient people.
They deal with me bloviating about politics at all hours, of all days, every year. It’s a constant hobby/obsession of mine, and I know it takes a big heart for them to love a junkie.
If you don’t understand what a feat that is, you’ve probably never fielded a text message from someone waking you up at 3:30am that says, “I cannot believe 15% of Ohio Republicans think Mitt Romney deserves more credit than Barack Obama for the death of Osama bin Laden.”
Oh, and did I mention I include a picture of the poll results in that text message to prove I didn’t make that stat up? That’s what kind of jerk I am.
I am a perpetual work of art in the field of annoyance.
Because—and this is counter-intuitive, I know—I actually think this politics thing is fun. I think it’s fun to become involved in discussion about our country, to have a little fun with that discussion, and to civilly argue the plans and strategies that really matter to making this country great. I don’t just consider our freedom of speech a right, I consider it an enjoyable responsibilty.
Still, I try to be as consciencious as I can be of my political viewpoints. I try to use long form, because I believe strong opinions should be well-thought out and explained. I try to back up everything I say with sources—legitimate ones—like I was taught to do in school. I try to inform first, and persuade later. I make fun, but try never to insult. I try not to fly off the handle and use one-lined hyperbole in place of logic and context. I believe those things denote a level of paranoia, and they do nothing to promote an intelligent level of conversation about our nation.
And yes, sometimes I am wrong, and I will say so. And sometimes I might even tell someone I normally disagree with they are right. And the reason I do those things is because that is the mature thing to do.
I worry, sometimes, that I am becoming a minority in that. I worry that the forces of the loud, ignorant and/or crazy have taken over the discussion. I worry that the voice I try to represent—fact-based, even in my satire—is lost, like a scream in a room full of churning jackhammers.
Having said all that, this is my last blog for Patch.
I’ve written a blog a week for the last year on Patch. I’m not quite sure why, but many of them seem to have generated a regular following, discussion and/or controversy. However, I don’t think that’s due to my writing or attitudes so much as it’s due to the audience.
It sometimes feels like people pre-decide for themselves that I’m a “libtard, commie-socialist, Obama-lover” who is an “overpaid teacher” (all things I’ve been called) in order to apply a bias to me that is neither realistic, nor remotely true. Some of them probably see my name attached to a work with a title about politics, and they join into the comments discussion to insult both myself and others without having even read the blog.
And that’s where the fun stops.
It stops when the fun in politics turns to insult. It stops when some people have such a crisis of authority that they can’t agree on what a fact is. It stops when people can’t have a civil discussion about our issues. It stops when people put away intelligence and resort to immature labels. It stops when no one is willing to admit they’re wrong.
It stops when someone disagrees with your political viewpoint, so they threaten your job or your livelihood.
If that is the level of conversation we’re going to have in this country, then I’d like you to stop giving a damn about who the next President will be. It simply does not matter. Educated, respectful discourse is the true ruler of any democracy. And if you are someone that is incapable of using fact-based, critical thought and respect in your rhetoric about politics without resorting to insult or threat, no president, policy, or politician is more of a threat to this country than you are. Because if the individual citizens that show an inability to intelligently discuss and compromise become a majority, they will elect representatives that promote those same flaws, and our nation will collapse from inaction.
My friends and family know this. They know me as someone who loves common sense first, and promotes affiliation second. They’ve supported me as a writer, and as a political junkie, even when they’ve disagreed with my arguments. And their diverse viewpoints continue to keep me in check, so that when I am wrong, or I’ve gone too far, they tell me so. I thank them for that, and I thank the people on Patch who respectfully commented and questioned me on the blogs I wrote.
My concern is that we are a dying breed.
Dave Cunix
12:26 pm on Monday, October 15, 2012
Patrick,
Like you I have written about the "hair on fire" extremist on BOTH sides who seem more interested in the fight than the cause. And there appears to be a small group of PATCH readers dedicated to venting their anger through insulting comments, normally aimed at each other.
Whether I agreed with your point of view or disagreed, I enjoyed your posts. Feel free to add me to your other distribution list.
Dave Cunix
Patrick Giusto
9:34 pm on Monday, October 15, 2012
Thanks, Dave. I've always enjoyed your blogs, too.
Steve Rosen
10:03 pm on Monday, October 15, 2012
Patrick, while I enjoy your posts, there is an issue America is not paying attention to and every voter needs to know about before they go to the polls. Every voter must watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvGyS5j9aFY
Wanda Minor
12:42 pm on Saturday, October 20, 2012
I hate you... lol
Mary Jo Stack
9:45 am on Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sorry to see you stop the blogging for Patch. I have enjoyed every post you have written. I agree with you though, it does get way too ugly. I hope you will reconsider. In the meantime, I for one will miss you.
Murphy-Solon
10:09 am on Tuesday, October 16, 2012
I couldn't agree more Patrick. I've been frustrated for a long time that I have been unable to find a satisfying format to discuss deep issues. Sadly, newspapers are disappearing and many American's care more about Dancing with the Stars then the issues that affect our nation. When I found the patch system I thought I had finally found a format to satisfy my need for deep reflection. Unfortunately, what I found was what I could already find on the streets. Save a few individuals, the only thing deep on the patch network is what so many of these self-centered orators are standing in.
lyn
10:23 am on Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Patrick-
I will miss your blogs.
Although I did not agree with some, I did enjoy reading them because they were usually well thought out. And you seemed to enjoy throwing in humor and sparking debates.
I completely understand how you feel about the turn the comments have taken and I,too, have chosen to withdraw from most discussions because of this.
I hope to read some of you comments on other blogs and articles - and maybe I'll be debating you there!
Patrick Giusto
6:34 pm on Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Thanks to all of you (especially you, Steve. I "rolled" laughing at your link).
I would like to point out that I still have faith that good political conversations still happen on Patch, and that it can be a good place for civil discussion. I had many disagreements with people who challenged me by making conscientious and well-supported points, and i enjoyed that.
However, as we've pointed out, there are some "vile, hateful" people in particular (you know who you are if you are reading this) that cannot support their own counter-opinion without resorting to insults and threats. I have faith in Patch to right the ship to allow for more mature discussions in the future, and there are good people and journalists working for their network. I just can't continue, at this present time, to pursue my hobby on the site.
Steve Rosen
10:58 pm on Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Thanks for your entertaining columns. Good luck going forward.
James Thomas
7:27 pm on Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Patrick,
all disagreements aside I will regret not having the chance to read your work. For all of the times I have posted to your articles I was one of the "following" you generated; and I again disagree, it was the writing. I hope that my posts were not in the catagory of name callers that have guided your decision to cease (hopefully not permanently) blogging. Good Luck, good learning and remember "Happy Wife, Happy Life.)
Patrick Giusto
7:52 pm on Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Thanks James. I admit, you were the first person who I noted as a regular reader, and I always appreciated your comments, even when we disagreed.
Adam Douglas
3:30 am on Wednesday, October 17, 2012
I hate to see you go, Pat, but I understand your reasons. I dont know when things changed, bit i vaguely remember a time when political discussions didn't (usually) devolve into elementary school slap fights. Somewhere, there are still forums where intelligent thought is celebrated and opposing opinions are discussed mindfully. Send me a link if you ever find such a utopia. In the meantime, keep writing. Don't let the actions of the ignorant steal your voice.
joe ponikarovsky
12:53 pm on Thursday, October 18, 2012
well, that sucks. your blog posts were just about the only intelligent commentary on this site any more. everything else is just pseudo-news or entertainment through watching people argue over things they know little to nothing about. and i can understand why that last bit has you running for the hills. but my opinion is that this is the internet; unfortunately, that means anyone can blindly be a hateful moron with no recourse. but that's the way it is. and it's not just patch, either. try reading comments on any news outlet and you'll see it quickly devolve from rational thought into name-calling, repeated incorrect facts (with no sources), baseless rumors and unrelated hate-based blame. but that doesn't stop people from posting news or opinion pieces. i guess the difference is they get paid for it; you get nothing but grief (and a little bit of rational thought/discussion) out of all the time and thought you put into your posts. so, i can't really blame you for your position. i hope it's not permanent, though.
MZ
3:38 pm on Thursday, October 18, 2012
Patrick, are you trying to say that you aren't a “libtard, commie-socialist, Obama-lover” who is an “overpaid teacher”?
Couldn't resist myself. Anyway, too bad. I never enjoyed your writing, disagreed with all of your opinions, but did have fun commenting back and forth with you. I think we always kept is civil.
PS - You owe us one more post after the election, either to gloat a little, or to eat some crow.
Phyllis Stager
11:40 am on Saturday, October 20, 2012
Gosh, Patrick...I truly hate to see your resignation. I will miss looking for you and your discussion inspiring topics. I know you are a fine fellow it was fun to contribute to your efforts to make us think. I wish you the very, very best in all things and look forward to someday seeing your name on a best seller or a syndicated column. I wish this for you in spite of the fact that I almost never agreed with you. Cheers!