Long-time, no “see” blog friends! Blogging kind of fell off my radar due to parenting and life in general, but I feel the need to share today…so I’m back!
Those of you that are connected to me on other platforms know that I’ve been kind of…obsessed with Andrew Yang’s 2020 Presidential bid over the last 6 months or so. For those of you who just said “Wait, who’s Andrew Yang?”, please go visit his website at yang2020.com now!
![#SaysYang "The point is that we need to rewrite the rules so that everyone has value, regardless of whether they are making the business more money or not. [...] if we continue to confuse economic value and human value, we are going to lose at an epic, catastrophic scale."](https://i0.wp.com/softheartedmisanthrope.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/value.jpg?resize=740%2C416)
I first saw Andrew Yang speak during the Democratic Presidential Debates last June. While he was only given a few minutes, he certainly caught my attention… I went on to read and listen to everything I could find about this longshot candidate and I was HOOKED! I’ve never been a politics aficionado and generally pay the minimal amount of attention required to make the “better of bad choices” votes. Suddenly, there is this candidate who speaks to almost everything I care about and almost everything I worry about… He actually speaks authentically and empathetically about how to fix the REAL problems that plague our country. He digs deep into the issues, analyzes the data, and shares them in a detailed but easy to understand format, then provides pragmatic solutions on how to fix them! While he’s a lifelong Democrat himself, he sees the importance of all opinions and draws in supporters from all world views – from fellow Democrats, from Independents, Libertarians, Republicans, and former Trump voters, and from those who have been disenfranchised from the political process in general. Most of all, he sees the intrinsic value of ALL people and lives a Humanity First vision. This vision is truly what resonates with me so deeply…
Supporters of Andrew Yang are known as members of the Yang Gang, the nicest gang in the country. I’ve met a few Yang Gang in person, although the majority of contacts I’ve made have been online through social media. The most dedicated of the Yang Gang spend their days and nights volunteering for the campaign, canvassing for Andrew Yang, making phone calls and sending texts to spread his message, establish events, write songs and create other art in support of the campaign, send letters and cards to potential voters, follow the campaign and share YouTube videos with the latest news, blanket social media with pro-Yang content, and so much more… What struck me most about the Yang Gang is the kindness…Andrew Yang and his followers have created a culture of kindness! Sure, as with any group of passionate people, there are a few bad apples or simple angry expressions of frustration, but for the most part, the Yang Gang is a lesson in respect and goodwill. They gently remind each other “Humanity First” when anyone acts poorly, freely support each other financially so those with more time but less money can be equally involved, and perform many acts of service and volunteerism in the name of the campaign and humanity itself. This is my type of gang!
I woke up late this morning – after a big night of catching a couple streaming movies with my two younger girls, watching a live-streamed Yang event in New Hampshire around 10pm-midnight eastern, snoozing on the couch until midnight while my youngest watched bad TV, waking up to wish my daughters “Happy New Year”, send a quick Facebook post and text to husband & oldest daughter out at a party, and then stumble up to bed…grumbling a bit about the neighbor’s fireworks freaking out the pets. That’s my life these days! Anyway, I woke up to discover three of my Yang Gang friends sharing stories of personal attacks on social media in our discussion group basically for the “crime” of being YangGang. This is such a sad reflection on the hate in our culture today. But these friends have embraced the culture of kindness that permeates the YangGang and did not rise to the bait. They ask for support from others which is quickly dispatched. They respond to anger with facts and civility. They understood that the folks spewing toxicity may be fighting their own battles that cause them to spray their hurt on others that don’t share the same views. Can you imagine what our world would be like if the majority of society reflected the Humanity First values that Andrew Yang preaches and his supporters share?
Want to learn more?
- Read Andrew Yang’s book “The War on Normal People” or listen to it for FREE on YouTube! This will give you the most in-depth understanding of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the problems our country is facing and how President Yang would address them.
- Google Andrew Yang! (yang2020.com)
- YouTube Andrew and devote some time to long-form interviews and Q&As (You can visit the campaign YouTube channel at Andrew Yang for President 2020.)
- Follow @AndrewYang on Twitter!
- Most importantly, join the Culture of Kindness and help make the world a better place for all of humanity…
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