Somebody's politics is risky business; it's almost like religion. It's a badge, an identity you wear around. It does not define who you befriend yet it defines who you intellectually agree with. Your best friend can be Liberal while you Conservative and yet, you can still be best friends! It is, how can I put it, intellectual religion?

But here is a confession: through this entire U.S. election I have largely never "endorsed" (by endorse I mean going beyond throwing him/her on SuperPoke and supporting that candidate on a psychological level) any candidate based on the intrinsic issues that the candidate stands for, but chose candidates to support on a more superficial, emotional level. Firstly, Barack Obama is a Democrat which spells "left" on American politics. The Singapore equivalent is inexistent yet it is rage among youths to be PAP-bashers. I think I have seen no less than 70% of my friends on facebook describe themselves as "Liberal" regarding their politics.

Hence coupled with Barack's youthfulness (compared to wrinkled faced McCain) it is no surprise that most youths pick Obama over the Mac. It is also popular logic that George W. Bush is a failure as President, and the two terms he spent in the White House was characterized by his inaptness. Yet how many of us know why he actually failed? How many of us has read about the failed Bush policies and actually understood why he is discredited? We can all scream Iraq Iraq but what exactly made the War something to cry about? We all hate war but aggression in foreign policy in hardly a good reason to negate his 8 years as total failure.

My message today is that we cannot just take popular opinion and phase it as our own just to appear smart or just to be in the crowd. Because if everybody does that any person with more than half a brain and slightly more charisma can collect the support of supporters who support because their friends, too, are supporters and (slowly but surely) build a fan base so big he can control the world. Take charge of what you believe in, back everything you think is true by sources you can confirm. The world is not black and white. Nothing is 100% true and 100% false. Even the most centrist writers can have a leaning at heart.

You can read Al Gore's The Assault on Reason and believe that the GOP is manipulating democracy and also find truth in a Republican doctrine. You can watch Chee's video and completely believe what he says and yet think that PM Lee's National Day Rally was actually apt. We live in a world where everyone is trying to present his information as truth. That's his job. Your job is to decide what to believe in and not be the clueless crying fan.