On the + Side

In our current political climate its very easy to get caught up in the hate and angst lingering in the 24 hour news cycle. We often see our politicians as evil, corrupt, and backward. Yet more often than not we forget the one thing that truly unites us not just as a country but as humans beings across the globe.

We are all living, breathing people. We all have the same fears and hopes and dreams. We will all live and we will all die, and we are all doing whatever it is we are doing because we think it will make us happy in some way or another.

Based off of that idea I wanted to use this post to focus on the positive aspects of our civic leaders, and show them in ways that remind us all that even the most powerful people on this earth are still human beings just like you and me.

Justin Trudeau:

For those of you who don’t know Justin Trudeau, he is the current Prime Minister of Canada and at only 44 years old one of the youngest heads of state in the world. Here he is enjoying the annual PRIDE parade in Toronto.

 

Photo 1 from

For the record Trudeau is married to a woman and has 3 kids but I doubt anyone at PRIDE gay or straight had as much fun as he did. Walking alongside a gay Syrian refugee, Trudeau became the first Canadian Prime Minister to walk in the event and even sang along to Lady GaGa’s “Born This Way” at a church service in Toronto’s gay village. Tell me you wouldn’t want to see your Head of State having as much fun as this guy does. Plus even I have to admit he looks good in that rolled up collard shirt.

Bill Clinton and George Bush:

You’d think these two guys would hate each other for a multitude of reasons, yet as the video below shows there is still hope for political civility in our country.

To see two men from totally different ideological backgrounds come together and share humor and friendship with one another. Especially with how toxic our political climate can seem at times I think it is reminders like this that bring us back down to earth and remind us that politics isn’t the only thing that makes a person who they are.

Nicolas Sarkozy

And lastly because our leaders our human beings sometimes they make the same mistakes we do. In this case I find it fitting that the world leader who happened to be caught drinking a bit too much on the job also happened to be French. Though I cannot fault him since we French are a group of people who enjoy our food and wine more than anybody on earth. Yet there is a time and place to enjoy your alcohol, before a press conference isn’t one of them.

As you can see these world leaders are still people just like you and me………. ……unless that space lizards thing ends up being right.

 

works cited:

www.youtube.com

Time Magazine

Clinton Foundation

Nymag.com

 

3 thoughts on “On the + Side”

  1. Great post. My dad recently shared an article with me about how we often dehumanize politicians and I think your article does a great job in showing how we cannot and should not do this. Your humor was great in this piece as well. I look forward to reading more!

    1. Thanks man, I’m always happy to look at politicians as people first and politicians second. Its really important for us to always remember that and to not get caught up in the partisan fervor that election seasons usually bring out.

  2. This was such a refreshing post, especially in our current, hostile political climate. You’re right, there is hope for the world, because at the end of the day, no matter what our political beliefs, we can still always try to get along. Some more mature political members actively take these steps, while others choose to be petty and stuck in their ideologies. Sometimes its not about who is right and who is wrong, but about who is willing to laugh every once in a while, and realize that we can only be truly productive if we are getting along with each other.

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