Get Political - 2

Politics. Ugh.

That's the first thing that comes to mind when I think about "getting political." I come from a family that is very political -- that is, they watch news like fiends, and argue and debate every issue, primarily criticizing every one and every idea from one political party. When I was growing up, this translated in my mind into lots of background angst on any and every subject. To this very day, I have a difficult time listening to political shows where people with different views get together and argue.

So, I have usually steered very far clear of "being political" -- very, very far clear! Yet, I listen daily to NPR news, enjoying the in-depth coverage of issues. I rarely miss a day. What is missing is the in-your-face arguing and competitive undercurrents. It seems that NPR does a good job of presenting issues fairly -- both sides -- without judgment.

Surprisingly for me, I sometimes think of something I've heard on NPR and share it with others, when appropriate. Does this mean I am "getting political"? No, I don't believe that is does mean that I am getting political -- not in the same sense that my family of origin is. So, I'm wondering, how did I get to this point? When did I even start to listen to NPR? I rarely ever watched news or listened to news before I got hooked on NPR! It happened after September 11, 2001. This catastrophic event changed everything. Everything. I started listening to NPR for my news following that event. I listened faithfully for months and months. When it started to wane, then the US invaded Iraq, and my need to know what was happening spiked again. Now, NPR is a habit.

I wonder if I should seek news from other sources. I have tried to read the newspaper, but the stories are too shallow by comparison. I sometimes listen to BBC and enjoy that (truthfully in part to listen to the musical accents of their reporters!). Occasionally I use some on-line sources such as Reuters, or even msn.com or cnn.com. But, I fall back to relying on NPR.

For now, I think that this is enough. I feel well informed enough and do not need to face the argumentative aspect of some political shows.