Realization

I have been infinitely more interested in the presidential race this year than I've ever been. Some of that, I think, has to do with my strong desire to see a change, but that's been true in the past too.

But here's the major difference, I think: I don't watch TV anymore and am, thus, not bombarded with ads. I am in control of the information I take in and can study it in a more reasoned, measured way.

I will be voting in my first ever primary in a few weeks. Until I moved to my current state, I was registered as an independent voter. Since I lived in a state (and do now, too) where only registered party members could vote in primaries, I never had an opportunity to participate in that part of the process. When I moved, I registered as a Democrat so that I would have that option. As a result, I've gotten invested far earlier in the process, and find the whole thing completely fascinating.

Now, I can't speak for the rest of the country, but I am pretty much convinced that TV was killing my investment in previous elections. It's reasonable, I think, to point to the ads themselves and the sheer volume of them as a source of election-related apathy in this country.

Just me wondering out loud. Carry on.