Being an independent is more than just a decision. It’s a lifestyle choice. In order to be a true independent, you have to leave all of your comfort zones.

First, you have to pull yourself away from all political message boards, even popular ones like Democratic Underground and Free Republic. While message boards are amongst the most popular places for political discourse, you cannot think for yourself if you hang out in a place with a "follow the herd" environment that encourages cranial flatulence from nutbags seeking validation for their extremist behavior.

Cranial flatulence isn’t just for message boards. It’s also prevalent on blogs. If you hang out in the comments section of a blog long enough, you’ll easily identify who these extremists are. They’re the ones who are the quickest to pass jugdment on a ongoing story. At the first sign of bad news, they’re the ringleaders who grab pitchforks and lead the sheeple down the path of self-destruction while spewing venom like “President Bush is granting them amnesty!” or “Release the names now, Jason!“

It’s imperative that you leave all message boards because the environment doesn’t exactly encourage you to think for yourself and if you’re not with the herd, you’re an outcast.

Once you break away from message boards, the next thing you’ll have to do is grow thicker skin. Being an independent means you’ll have to withstand slings and arrows from the left and the right. Being of mixed race, I’m used to getting shit from both sides so this is not a problem for me. Some Latinos tell me I’m not a real Mexican because I have German heritage or I don’t speak Spanish, while some whites have the gall to ask me things like, “How much would you charge for mowing my lawn?” and “Are you here legally?”

As much as I’d love give them the middle finger, these people are just like the orangutans at the San Diego Zoo. When they flip you off, you don’t salute them back. That’s the trigger for them to fling their feces through the bars surrounding their enclousure, and you better not be standing within their throwing range because these primates have better accuracy than Philip Rivers.

From that analogy, you have an idea what you’ll be up against when you blog or respond to the comments section of one. Not only will you be dealing with name-calling from the right, but you’ll have to show your sources to the left. Are you ready? Can you handle that? If so, then you’re well on your way to being an independent.

But is being an independent all it’s cracked up to be? No, it’s better. When you’re an independent, you’re no longer shackled by the ideology of either the Republican or Democratic party. You’re free to judge an issue from a third-person point of view, so when you can take a stand on an issue, you can feel good about it because it’s what you wholeheartedly believe in, not what others want you to say or feel.

That is what being an independent is all about.

Robbie Gonzalez is an Independent blogger from El Cajon, California. You can read more of his commentary on politics, sports, current events, and things happening around San Diego by visiting his blog Greetings From America’s Finest City.

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