Everybody Puts Baby In The Middle

I didn't vote yesterday. 

Sometimes the guilt of not bothering to vote can be overwhelming, thanks to the in-your-faceness of "VOTE VOTE VOTE!" brought to my senses by every Facebook status, every blog, and simply by being on a college campus, but then I shrug my shoulders and remember why I didn't vote in the first place: because.... meh.

I think my apathy political moderateness stems from being the baby of the H. family and always feeling stuck in the middle of hair-pulling arguments lively debates at holiday gatherings and meals.  Both of my parents are SUV-driving, Wal-Mart-shopping Fox News watchers very conservative and both of my siblings are Subaru-driving, co-op-shopping, non-air-conditioning-using granola crunchers very liberal. 

In the past, if I became too uncomfortable  people at other tables started glaring at us a discussion became too heated, Mom wouldn't be able to think of anything nice to say and didn't want to perpetuate the drama, so she would force a smile and say, "That's so great that you're so passionate about this issue!  What a great country we live in!" 

Then I take the opportunity to shout, "Did you all SEE what BRITNEY SPEARS did this weekend?  OMG, it was ALL over the news!  Crazy!  Gurl needs to get her SHIT together!!!"  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes I replace Britney with Paris or Lindsay or some other troubled star.  If we were at a family gathering this week, it would be poor Demi.

Am I ashamed that I am more likely to have a knowledgeable and civilized discussion about celebrity gossip than I am about politics?  Meh.



I wonder if Britney voted yesterday.