“So what you’re saying is that all women are the same,” I retorted.

“No that’s not what I’m saying at all,” she or he says as they divert their eyes from mine.  They begin feverishly looking around the restaurant or office or apartment, eyes darting from corner to corner, attempting to find the nearest exit or at least a bathroom.

“Then what do you mean when you said, ‘I wouldn’t vote for Hillary or any woman because they’re too emotional?’”  

“What I mean to say is that, well, women are emotional and men, well….aren’t.”

“Ok. I get it,” I begin to nod, giving a bit of a smile. “What you mean to say is that the problem is not women being emotional. It’s that politicians should not be emotional at all?”

“Ahheh,” she or he sighs, “I give up.”

It seems that being emotional is seen by quite a few people as a negative this presidential election year.  I just have to disagree with this assertion mostly because of the failure in logic.

To begin, having too much emotion seems like a silly reason not to vote for someone. I want a president who is not afraid to show their humanity. The ability to feel things and elect responses to injustice and inhumane treatment of others is something that I personally value. The issue with emotions in politics is not simply about the expression of them. The question that should be at the forefront of our thoughts as we elect the next leader of our nation is: what does the potential president do with these emotions?  Call me crazy, but good citizens and the leaders they elect are not ruled simply by the emotions generated by the events of the world. They use their logic in conjunction with emotional response to solve the problems that face us in this global society.  

I guess the question is: when did it become expected that public figures shield us from their emotions?  It’s almost as if we are afraid of them showing that they are human. They make mistakes as most people do. But what sets them apart from us, what makes them qualified to lead, is their ability to admit mistakes and move past them with dignified honesty. To me it does not matter that a presidential candidate cried on television in front of millions. I would rather them display an honest emotional moment rather than lie about the choices they make as my president.

I hope that we all keep our eyes on the ball and realize that there are bigger issues than gender and its perceived connection to emotional capacity this election. I mean hell, there is a war going on, American’s without health insurance, most of us are under paid and over worked, and too afraid to think into our future because we are seeing the economy crumbling before our eyes. Gas prices are at an all time high and there’s not telling when or if they will be reduced. These are issues that I want my president to be emotional about because they affect me everyday and sometimes make me want to cry.