Trying to think of a nice way

...to word a sign that could be interpreted as snarky.

Folks, the political posters have already started to go up on campus. And they've already started to be defaced (for both R and D, I hasten to point out).

I have no stomach for the level of political discourse that happens on campus. In fact, these days, I have very little stomach for politics in general - the whole circus that the conventions will be, the whole mess with the protesters (the group wanting to bring back 1968? I find that kind of distasteful. Wasn't 1968 kind of marked by violence?)

So what I really, really want to do is declare my office on campus a politics-free zone. A haven where I don't have to listen to the snark and the back-and-forth-backbiting that happens. Where I can concentrate on my WORK. Where I can prep for teaching and work on my research without having to constantly tell CERTAIN PEOPLE, "I am sorry but I am busy, I really need to get this done" when they come down wanting to share the latest discouraging bon mots they have come up with.

Because I'm tired of it now. I'm tired of the snark. I'm tired of the ad hominem attacks. Oh, I've done it myself. But I think I'm going to stop now. I want people to care about the issues. And it seems most of the political discussion on campus is very thin on issues, and very thick on "If you don't agree with me, you are a pinhead/evil/full of crap." And you know? I disagree with a lot of people. But I still want to hear WHY I disagree with them- where there ideas and experience are different. I don't want to immediately shut down someone as "wrong," just as I don't want to immediately be shut down as "wrong." But it seems that's the tone too many are taking.

And I'm just tired of the snarkiness (I know, I said that before.) I'm tired of the bad old jokes about Cheney or McCain or whomever. I don't want to hear it. Oh, I don't mind someone explaining why they won't vote for McCain, issues-wise, but I don't want to here "tired old man four more years of Bush evil corporations bla bla bla." Because it is OLD. And I don't want to hear anyone saying they won't vote for Obama because he's black. Or because he has big ears. Or because of one isolated thing he said - oh, I think if you look at patterns, if you pay attention to positions, it's fine. But picking one thing and hanging your whole decision on that, and playing that ONE DAMN THING over like a broken record...I'm done with it.

Can't we have the election tomorrow, please? I just want to get this over with. I know it's gonna get ugly here this fall and I can't play my internet radio loud enough to drown out the arguments in the hall.