The Politicization of Modern Day Mirth

Lately, I've been asking myself (and a friend or two) this question:  "Is it just me, or is the world as we know it becoming more and more politicized?"

My point?  Simply that things that are not politics are being put into a political perspective whether they should be or not...  For instance, I love many different genres of music, but for whatever reason, I don't feel all that safe telling everyone I meet that.  Because there have been a few times when I have shared that "Oh, I like all different kinds of music, but lately, I've been listening to a lot of country..." and the people around me felt the sudden urge to more or less attack me for that.  Because whatever their musical preference, it is so much better than Country. 

What about the way we have treated our organizations?  There are many organizations out there that help other people, and they are wonderful.  I am very happy that they are in existence for those who need them.  But I am tired of being persecuted by those who think I'm a bad person for not cooking at the soup kitchen over the Christmas holidays.  It's not that I don't care or have a hardened heart.  Is it so wrong to say that "I would not be happy doing this"?  Because in my experience, the people who visit those kitchens need someone who is happy and smiling.  Not some glum idiot who would much rather be elsewhere doing just about anything else. 

This is where my frustration with the rest of the human race (at least within our nation) has arisen.  I feel that I am quite possibly a "bad" person or an evil Christian for not caring more about things  that others spend so much of their time and emotions on.  I am confused by people who put this much effort towards things that do not really seem to affect them, and sometimes, even when it does affect them.  Perhaps I am too critical of my fellow man yet again.

If you are having difficulty understanding the full realm of what I am getting at here, imagine the following:

• Being sad that someone has passed away, but not involving yourself in the memorial services because there is too much hype about how wonderful the person is.  Suddenly, they were the picture of perfection... too bad they had faults while they were alive.  Now they'll never know they were perfect.
• Seeing news about some catastrophe in another part of the country, but not really thinking about it beyond the newscast.
• Someone coming up to you and asking why you were not touched to the point of tears by the first two...  Follow that up with the same person defaming you to your face for not being a better person with a better attitude and outlook.

These are just some of the things that I have dealt with over the years.  And I'm beginning to wonder about it.  Am I a bad person?  Have I seperated myself from the rest of the world in a sense?  And if I have, is that a good or a bad thing?  Or could it be both.  There are things that bother me that no one else seems to be bothered by to the same extent.  But things that don't bother me, everyone else is either fighting about it, crying about it, preaching it, or selling it. 

Unfortunately, there are so many areas of this "politicization" that I cannot cover them all in one blog post, but I hope that my readers will understand where I'm coming from with this.

Thoughts?