A simple nation

Last week while driving around I heard a bit of an NPR show where some political pundit talked with the host about how the combination of Hillary and Barack (yes, if using one of their first names I must use both of their first names) on the primary ballot presented a challenge for African-American women, as they didn't know whether to vote for their gender or for their race. He went on to suggest Latinas had an easier time backing Hillary (due to race not playing a role, only gender), but that Latinos didn't necessarily follow Barack.

The pundit painted the electorate with these broad strokes. And I found myself particularly disquieted, because, for reasons that likely defy explanation, I don't believe everyone is nothing more than what their race and gender makes them out to be.

I'm not saying race and gender are nothing when it comes to politics; I'm just saying it's not everything.

However, the specifically disquieting thought is not so much that maybe the way people vote can be so easily predicted along those lines, but that by not thinking that it's really that simple, I am even more unlike most people than I thought I was.

It's not that I have particular issue with being unlike most people. Frankly, I take some slight comfort in the notion. However, given that this is a republic, it makes it even more unlikely that any candidate represents me even slightly. And there's nothing to make the candidates want to appeal to me, as an individual, because I'm not easily fit into a bloc of voters whose racial or sexual characteristics align them in ostensible groups.

By being an individual, it seems I am left out of the political process. Or at least of no interest to pundits on radio shows.

This is why I don't listen to such programs.