Chili peppers and American politics.

I cut up a chili tonight for Christmas meal / Secret Santa I had with my housemates plus our bonus honorary housemate Sus.

Stupid me has accidentally touched the skin around my eye twice since then and nearly felt like my eyes were going to burn out.

So it is 1am and 7 hours after cutting the chili I still have not taken my contacts out because that requires me to put chili fingers directly in my eyes. Dang it. Why did I not get a contact-less housemate to chop the chili!?! Thoughtless Christy!

The chili reminds me slightly of the fact that I just registered online for my US absentee ballot. One of the great things about being an American is I can vote from far away and I have a country that counts my vote and doesn’t ignore it (well provided I get it in on time which I did not do for the last presidential election! I was having a very hard time choosing a candidate and waited so long to decide it didn’t get there in time. Whoops!) Oh wait.. chili. How does my chili pepper remind me of registering to vote? Well this simply:

Though you Brits might find the American election drama much more exciting than your own (do you know when your next major election is even going to be??!) As an American who is decidedly party-less, our 18 month long drama on the run up to a presidential election makes me rather stick a chili in my eye than deal with our long ridiculous political drama.

See I got there didn’t I! 🙂 Told ya politics and chilies fit together!

Actually it is not only how long it takes (though, dear Lord how it drags on!). One of the things I find very very difficult the older I get and the more world traveled I have become is that I do not fit into one of our two main parties any more. In fact, I don’t think my opinions on politics fit into any of our minor parties as well. In a country that is SO driven by politics that our political dramas go on for the better part of two years just to elect a president what usually happens is if I talk to Americans about my political views I immediately want to cower in the corner because the vibes I have gotten from people on both sides of the major parties are:

“If you don’t vote republican/democrat (ie. whichever one I vote for) you are “Satan incarnate/not a Christian/ evil/conservative nazi/liberal hippy/commie to everrr consider voting for the other side.”

I have lived in the UK for the better part of 8 years. I have friends from all over the world. My worldview does NOT fit into either the Republican nor the Democratic politics very easily in my country. Christians in the UK are appalled that American Christians would not be pro a national socialized health care system – as in “how can you be a Christian and not want free health care for everyone so that your poor and struggling middle class are taken care of?!?!” That issue divides both parties down the line into heated battles. If that issue alone has been shifted in my head by being a part of a very global community and spending time with Bible believing Christians from other cultures (and experiencing the wonders of the free NHS in England), can you imagine how much I don’t fit into either political party very well? I’d be very conservative on some issues and the democrats would hate me and very liberal on other issues and the republicans would hate me and some I think they are both just plain wrong on and I want a different solution all together!

I think if I could follow our 18 month long primaries onto presidential election process and feel like I could constructively talk about the issues with fellow Americans and be heard and hear others without it ending in war, then perhaps I’d like it a bit more. But instead it feels like a who lot of junk rhetoric and 18 months of me needing to keep my sassy mouth shut which is just too long for me to handle.

So hand me the chili pepper.

Awakening Sardis

learning to live fully awake

Chili peppers and American politics.

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