When Chat should be Just Chat

In a world where our moods and personalities affect all of our accessories, it's easy to think that our political and religious beliefs should be put out there. But is there a difference between being proud and unashamed of what we believe and wearing it like a banner that we shove down people's throats. In short, are we just our beliefs?

Today's society is all about collecting and analyzing information for correlations. In the true world of statistics, we know, correlation does not mean causation, but it's close enough to sell products. We are endlessly hassled by surveys to improve service and find out about our backgrounds "for research," but can we really tell as much about a person from their basic profile as we think?

If someone is a Christian, does it mean they support Bush or are definitely conservative? If someone plays soccer, does it make them a jock? Do all engineering majors have no personality? (jk). Are introverts drawn to mathmatics? Of course not.

In the countdown to Election '08, the media in the US have been doing their best to inundate the US people with information about our candidates. Countless people have asked me my opinion on the candidates, and their beliefs on hot button issues like the economy, national health care, abortion, to name a few. Others ask if I'm a democrat or republican, a liberal or a conservative. The problem I'm having is that many of these boxes don't seem to fit my personal beliefs. My beliefs aren't square enough to fit into the peg holes that the election is creating.

Furthermore, I completely understand the desire to support certain beliefs and candidates, but don't think it's necessary, or entirely appropriate to overflow our opinion on everyone we meet. For example, facebook flair, bumperstickers, etc. are becoming increasingly election related. Seriously, don't ask me how I feel about abortion on facebook chat! It's too limited a communication media to have an intimate and complicated discussion about a serious belief. But I have to wonder if our society is past the days of complicated conversations... do we substitute signs and sides for real understandings of one another. Today, is it more important to know what side you're on, than to really know one another?

If it is, I'm a Chrisitian, Cancer, Messiah Grad, English Major, Moderate, Independent, Pro-Choice Jersey Girl, 20-something, who wanted to vote for Huckabee, but is now undecided. Do you feel like you know the real me now? Because somehow, after all that, I feel like you just ordered a latte out of humanity, and don't know me any better than you did before you read that overly complicated personal statement.

Stereotypes help organize the world at the loss of personability. Texting and chatting helps communicate basic ideas without any tone or feeling behind it. Don't trade personality and soul for boxes and information.