You Like Mitt Romney!? Is It Just Me, Or Do Your Facebook “Friends” Act A Fool During Election Season Too?

September 20th, 2012 - By Clarke Gail Baines

I can remember Nov. 4, 2008 like it was yesterday. It was my first time getting to vote in a presidential election, and with a fly black guy from the Chi (me too!) running, I was all in and excited. Our first black president? The idea was too monumental for me to grasp before it happened, but all I knew months leading into the election, was that I liked the sound of it! We got up very early (Seriously, it was still dark outside), stood outside in the longest line, and finally got to vote. We even walked out with one of those colorful stickers with the American flag that said, “I voted!” All I had to do now was wait and hope that my vote would actually count. Of course, that evening, we found out that Barack Obama, a former state senator for Illinois and a Leo (whoop, whoop!), would be the 44th President of the United States, and our first black president. Folks were running around my apartment complex in tears, and video from around the world, and even in Kenya, showed that the same elation was being felt all over.

Well, not by everybody.

That night, I noticed that some people I had classes with, shared laughs with and worked with were trying to be party poopers on Facebook and Twitter, and couldn’t take John McCain’s loss gracefully. They continued throughout the night to bulls**t about how they were packing up and moving to Canada, and to this day, none of them did so, of course. People spoke as if it would be the end of the world as we knew it, with President Obama bringing the downfall of the U.S. and “Change” not happening. As a comeback, some friends of mine, and associates as well, were going on social media and telling folks “DON’T HATE!” and all that jazz. While tensions were high for the rest of the week, especially through social media and in classes with very few people of color, people got over their issues, and President Obama took office.

Almost four years later, it’s an election year again, and I’m already tired of folks. For one, I’m tired of the TV at my job staying on cable news channels where I have to hear the ramblings of Mitt Romney (especially since he doesn’t take a firm stance on anything), but I’m also tired of people making me want to delete them from my lives both through social media and in real life for their antics and very LOUD opinions. A young man who I actually became really cool with in college has gone on weekly rants and even had a profile picture that was an illustration of President Obama sucking the blood out of Lady Liberty’s neck. On any given day, you can find him posting stuff like this:

As President of the United States, Barack Obama’s administration has:

- Degraded the U.S. Constitution
– Weakened America’s defenses with senseless defense cuts
– Encouraged our enemies with weak foreign policy (Iran)
– Irritated our closest allies (Israel)

- Moved us increasingly towards a Socialistic ideology
- Increased entitlement and welfare spending – Drastically increased our budget deficit and National Debt
– Weakened our economy
– Had an unemployment rate of 8%
- Trivialized the war on terror
- Ultimately FAILED to meet any of his promises I cannot understand how anyone in this country can still support this guy.

NOVEMBER 6th WE TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!

Our country? It makes my skin crawl. And I can’t take his gripings seriously as someone who was rolling in a new Hummer our senior year of college after trading in the Cadillac his dad bought him. Psssssh, please, you’ll be ‘aight.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that election time brings the worst out of people. While it makes a lot of people more informed, sometimes in a bias way (aka, you seek information you want to back your own stances), it also makes people talk out the side of their necks online. I’m talking so much so that when I see certain people’s names in my news feed, I just scroll away from their comments so that I don’t get my blood boiling. I get that we’re not all going to have the same opinions, but as much as I ride for President Obama and loathe Mitt Romney and his “Ignore-the-47%” way of thinking, watching folks spew lies about him is like watching someone bash a distant cousin or uncle they really don’t know or understand–that ish can’t go down on my watch.
However, I have to remember that this is truly only going to last for a season. I’ve known this fella for a while, and I don’t want to excommunicate him like that based on his opinions. He has a right to them. A year from now, whoever wins, he’ll be back to the funny, adventurous and cool dude I met back during sophomore year. The lone white guy in my journalism classes who would go out of his way to talk to me and ask me about life when others would act like they didn’t know me from Adam–even if we worked side by side on a project for months. This too shall pass! But in the meantime, I’m going to take this time to cultivate my Instagram account, read some more books, and give Facebook, Twitter, and its legion of Republican vs. Democrat drama-loving fanatics a break.
Do you deal with this during election season?

More on Madame Noire!

More from StyleBlazer
More from MommyNoire

MadameNoire Video

Comment Disclaimer

Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN

  • http://twitter.com/kentyler215 Kenya Tyler

    There are at least six people on my FB that does the anti-Obama crap (because it deserve to be called) and it is sickening. If Obama (no, when Obama) gets re-elected, I hope that they have their passports ready.

  • mac

    It can be so disappointing. This girl I worked with, one of the coolest personalities you could ever come across, but this girl posts some of the most uninformed, almost bigoted, right wing BS I’ve ever seen. Even went as far as to say she hates Pres. Obama. I seriously can’t look at her the same.

  • Ms_Sunshine9898

    LOL I’m usually the one pumping Obama up and keeping it real on Romney, O’Rielly, Limbaugh and others . . .

  • FromUR2UB

    Many of Mitt Romney’s supporters are like spoiled children: some of them have everything, but are miserable. When I think of “adults” doing things like throwing peanuts at black photographers, referring to the president as a monkey, trying to deny American citizens their right to vote, I’m reminded that these people are sooooo angry that they don’t know what to do with themselves. I don’t consider it a legitimate anger. It’s more of a tantrum from not getting their way.
    BTW, if Romney manages to survive these hot potato comments he keeps making, then he should be known as, Oven Mitt.

  • Reese

    For the most part my Facebook friends and I share pretty much the same political views. But I have seen some of them have knock down drag out arguments with some of their other friends on Facebook over political issues. But I’ve seen some ignorance up there for myself. For example I was on the J. Crew FB page and women were saying they were going to boycott J. Crew because Mrs. Obama wore J. Crew at the DNC.

  • Kimster

    Between Trayvon Martin’s killing and this election, I’ve already parted ways with people for their ignorant comments. Differing opinions are fine, but it’s the nastiness and ugliness I have witnessed people utilize in order to get their point across. No thank you.

  • Yokessm

    I use my block button, I detest ignorant people, this year I’m not voting at all.

    • FromUR2UB

      Why do you think elderly white people always turn out to vote? They’re not even excited about Mitt Romney; but that won’t stop them. Think about that.

Get the MadameNoire
Newsletter
The best stories sent right to your inbox!
close [x]