Positive Politics

Getting Social about Politics

The closer we get to the election, the more political messages we are bombarded with.  We get them in commercials, billboards, phone calls, text messages, emails, people going door to door, and now we’re even getting them from our favorite brands.  I’m telling you right now – that I don’t care what side of the isle you’re on, I hate when the brands I like get political.

Why? 

Because it’s divisive, it singles people out and makes them feel like they are not a part of what that brand stands for.  Recently I watched a popular website’s instagram get very political.  Now this shouldn’t have come as a surprise, because this particular website had voiced messages that very clearly let their followers know which way they leaned when it came to politics.  But they decided to get overt about their personal political beliefs, selling hats that supported certain candidates, with messages that tore down another candidate.  Personally, I think we’ve gotten far too used to picking the lesser of two evils and our two party system needs to change in order to accommodate all of the complex issues that we’re now faced with.

But I digress.

So this website launched these posts – I mean let them fly.  I consider myself a libertarian, I firmly believe in the goodness of people and that communities should rise up and create social programs rather than have them dolled out by the government – I was convinced that I was in the minority of their followers.  But boy was I surprised when the comments just started rolling in.  Many people were upset.

Here are some of the reasons people were upset:

1. They don’t like when their favorite brands get political – their politics are not why people like the brand.
2. They didn’t like that the brand was being very harsh on the candidate whom they oppose.  It’s one thing to support someone but its something else entirely when you get nasty.
3. They disagreed with their politics.

I put these in order of the number of comments that I noticed.  About a day has passed and I have since stopped watching.  But this stands for the sake of my argument.  People do not like when brands get political.  This particular website did a good job of responding to comments and trying to moderate the feed, but they could not keep up and probably could have been a little bit more positive.  However, I give them props for sticking to their guns and not taking the post down.  If you’re going to make a decision to go for this type of post, you have to be committed.

Still want to get political in your posts? Be sure to have Positive Politics.

Stay Positive: 

If you are going to make a political post, make that post be supportive of a candidate, or better yet and issue, rather than tear the other candidate down.  Even if people disagree with your politics, they will appreciate that you kept it positive. There is already way too much negativity, emotion and fear injected into this political race and people are sick of the name calling, and well, people acting like their back in middle or elementary school.

Create a Positive Political Dialogue: 

For all of the emotion that I just listed above – this takes a lot of monitoring – but, if you can commit to it, then it might be worth your effort.  Rather than overtly naming names or aligning with a party, take an issue that is relevant to your brand – maybe it’s the economy, maybe it’s freedom of speech, or even foreign policy and create a discussion with your fans and followers.

Gurus and Gandhi for President

I work with a company called Gurus.  I’m sure many of you have seen me sporting the sandals or touting the trucker caps.  Gurus has an extremely positive message and mission, which is why I love them so much.  Gurus started off making sandals, that promote foot health and better posture, and a healthy environment by sourcing the eco-friendly materials sustainably.  Then they branched out in to thoughtful threads with tanks, tee’s and trucker caps emblazoned with positive messages.

Gandhi for President

One of these messages is “Gandhi for President” and this is a perfect example of positive politics.  Regardless of which candidates we are all going to vote for, we are all being highly conscious of peace and what we are doing to promote more of it in the world.  The tees and trucker caps open up a dialogue and allow for many different opinions.  I’ve even had some people – including the website above – respond to me and say Gandhi wasn’t perfect – and isn’t that great! Despite being imperfect the man accomplished incredible feats to achieve peace in his time.  And that is what this is all about.  Positive politics, open dialogue, and spreading peace and positivity in the world.

Want your own Gurus Gear? Click the link here and use code “GYPSYWONDERS” for a discount.