Facts, please, not Faces

I’m personally not the biggest fan of being advertised directly to. I like to find what interests me and understand it for myself. I don’t like to have various opinions shoved down my throat. It seems like this election season more than ever I’ve been bombarded with politics everywhere I go; they’re inescapable.

Romney and Obama’s faces are plastered on every possible magazine cover, newspaper, side column on an Internet site, or (my least favorite place to see it) on my Facebook newsfeed and in the advertisements on the side. (And yes, I know that is Michelle and not Barack in the picture, it's just to prove a point).

 Some may argue that Facebook is a fantastic new place to demonstrate the power of democracy; an incredible new field to truly get the people’s opinion. This is true. The world has never known a time where one person can know exactly how an individual they don’t even know feels instantaneously and be able to respond to their comments, yet how effectively do we use this ability we have?

There are important issues at hand in this election, as there always are. However, I feel most candidates running for office on all levels are using social media to make themselves seem likable and popular instead of forwarding their ideas and stances on issues.

           If you ever could be satirical about this particular subject, I think this may be the pinnacle:  

                                 

  This guy totally knows how the media can be used to make a stir. Even if he is crazy, he is a perfect example of attracting people by his image. He is likable, he should be much more popular than he is (in my opinion), and has an unforgettable image. Honestly, this is exactly what Obama and Romney are working towards. They try to make their policies more accessible and likable, yet at the same time, they try to make their image likable and accessible. Honestly, unless you are actually the perfect candidate, you can't have both, illustrated by Vermin. He's likable, but his policies are bogus.  

Social media is making more information available, though it seems we still focus on the image of each candidate more than track records or personal issues, making elections a popularity contest in the worst sense of the phrase instead of a true democratic gathering where we are to choose our most qualified leader. 

Take JFK and Nixon for example. The famous debates between them were decided more by looks than content. JFK dressed up for the debates and practiced looking good while on camera, while Nixon was nervous and had looked fatigued and sweaty. America had a choice between a sharp-looking young Kennedy and an old sweaty vice president. Kennedy won, although their arguments were comparable. 

Then, in the first debate between Romney and Obama in this election, Obama seemed asleep and Romney seemed to be the more presidential one. Each had strong points, but it was the way they presented them that made the difference. Romney "won" simply because he acted better. In headlines after each of the following debates, the content is focused less on what they said but more on the way they said it. Why do we focus so much on how they said something instead of why? I think it's actually the fault of the viewer. It's much easier to see the mood of a candidate and judge them by that than to actually listen to their argument and decide who is telling the truth. It all comes down to how we crave for simplicity. 

Social media is the place for simplicity. We like to know little tidbits, soundbites, headlines and nothing else. We like to know a little of a lot of things, making our understanding concerning certain subjects quite shallow. I find this true: if I've got the choice to see a one minute long video or to read the super-long article underneath it, I'm watching the video no question. 

Any suggestions for how we can stop looking for the simple way out? Firstly, we need to recognize what we are doing that is bad or not good enough. Don't get me wrong, the Internet and various social media sites are incredible ways to get information, but we don't use them to their potential. Another thing we don't use to our fullest potential is our brain. Yes, yes, i know about the "only 10% of your brain is being used" saying, but really, we have a capacity to thoroughly understand topics so much more than we are currently. 

I say lets try to not focus so much on when the president's anniversary was or if the former governor's dog was ever tied to the top of his car. They've got issues they are trying to talk about, but instead of us focusing on those, we spend too much time trying to figure out if they're nice guys or not, focusing them to spend time trying to grab our attention with their personalities. Let's get serious and vote for not who looks the best or has the best taste in music, but who we think will lead this country to its fullest potential.