John Edwards, my close buddy

Like your average 20-something girl I have a parasocial relationship with a 52-year-old politician, John Edwards. That's normal, right? Probably not, but like I believe I have mentioned before, my upbringing wasn't exactly average--there was a high emphasis placed on political figures (in second grade I remember defending Bill Clinton to my Republican teachers). I believe I first became aware of my parasocial relationship with John, former senator from South Carolina and Vice Presidential candidate in 2004, when I began reading everything I could get my hands on about him in the Dispatch. The obsession leaked into stopping to listen to him speak every time I saw him on TV. I knew I was in real trouble when I could recite large portions of his stump speech. (FYI- Tony Campolo used a piece of his stump speech in his chapel talk) What made my parasocial relationship really blossom was being around other Edwards supporters. When Edwards finally bowed out of the primaries and joined John Kerry in the race for the White House I felt betrayed. I felt John E. was the man for the job, and I was upset with the American Democrats for not believing the way I did. It took a while for me to warm up to the man who stole Edward's dream, but I finally came to the conclusion that is what John Edwards would want me to do. I then started to read up on Kerry and watch him, and that is when parasocial relationship #2 started. So what is the point? I believe this parasocial relationship was healthy. John Edwards brought me hope for a bright future in the midst of a bleak time in my life. He and his story allowed me to embrace great possibilities. (His story very well could fit the "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" myth, but at the same time his politics does not buy into this myth.) He directed my attention to the greater needs of society with his "two Americas" image. I don't think any of this is bad or unhealthy...so that is my take on my own parasocial relationship.