In relation to my other article, Top 10 Animes To Watch If You're Depressed About The News, you may have noticed my personal disdain for writing about recent political events like the Orlando shooting, whatever Trump's said or Brexit.
For one, there are thousands of articles on sites like Odyssey that write about these topics — so writing about them would be like emptying a glass of saltwater into the Atlantic sea.
For two, it's not healthy to obsess over it. I think one of the reasons why Pokémon GO caught on so quickly is because people were so tired of hearing about the election, shootings and ISIS that they needed an escape. It's not mentally healthy to constantly be stressed out about things that (I'm sorry for being such a cynic) are out of your control.
For three, I'm not a good fighter. I don't like fighting or even offending others. Perhaps I blame my Presbyterian upbringing -- we aren't really called "the frozen chosen" for nothing. Also, I took an oath of pacifism after the death of my father. I will not — I refuse — to hurt others. Yes, it's hard because even some of my professors have told me to grow a spine and write about more gruesome topics. I have friends who write so aggressively that I wonder if they think I'm childish. However, it's my choice, as a writer, as a poet, and I apologize if you do not respect that.
For four, I don't like it when other people fight and argue. I've seen politics tear apart families, couples and friends. Oftentimes, when politics comes up, I try my best to change the subject as quickly as I can.
Once, a lady in my art class went on a rant about how much she hated Hillary Clinton while the rest of us were trying to do our work in class. I'm not paying for these classes just to hear you go on 20-minute-long tangents. I'm paying for these classes to learn the subject matter, not to hear a speech. So, I politely just told her, "Ma'am, could you please be quiet? I'm trying to work," only to get a stern, "Don't talk back to me, young lady." I was being as polite as possible, yet somehow my request to simply focus on my work in quiet was viewed as childish.
Perhaps I am a child, innocent and naive, because I've given up caring about world and national affairs. However, if that's the case, I don't want to be what people consider a grown up. Why is arguing over things you can't control considered more mature than just sitting in the corner quietly playing a game, drawing, reading a book or listening to music? Am I a child or a cynical old lady trapped in a 22-year-old body? Sometimes I don't know.
