I'm taking time out of my busy packing schedule to write this because I'm well and truly irked. It's two days before Christmas and I just logged onto Facebook and saw no fewer than 3 posts entitled "To My Liberal/Conservative Friends" (depending on which side of the political fence you're on). These posts, 2 days before Christmas and during what's supposed to be the happiest time of the year, amounted to gigantic Eff You posts to friends on the opposite side of the poster's political fence. Well, I say these were posted and addressed to friends, but let's be honest, if you're posting an Eff You post to entire group of people you don't agree with, chances are you don't think much of them so they aren't exactly friends, no matter how you address your post.
I've watched this happen time and again over the last year or two and as each year passes, politics gets nastier. Let me just say that I'm not a fence straddler. I have very definitive political opinions - ones that I rarely voice. Why do I rarely voice them? Because I can say with total honesty that I have friends, family and acquaintances from every walk of life and I care about all of them. I have no desire to insult, hurt or alienate any of the people in my life over something as insipid and meaningless as politics. Yes, I do believe the way modern politics exists in our society is insipid and meaningless. I wouldn't think that if everything wasn't so damn polarized now but we ARE so very and unnecessarily polarized. We care more about being right and winning an argument than we do about finding workable solutions and bringing people together. We couldn't care less about finding a greater good that will work for the most people - we just want our side to win.
Frankly, because the last few years of my life have been pretty awful, I've checked out on a lot of political stuff. Priorities after all. And I doubt that I ever check back in the way I once was. I'll continue to be a tax paying, bill paying, voting American citizen with definitive opinions but I would like to think that at the end of the day, my friends and acquaintances care less about what my political beliefs are and are more interested in laughing and spending time together.
The current polarized, partisan, political atmosphere has grown tiresome. It's worn out its welcome. It's time to usher it out and get back to the business at hand - actually doing something that works instead of the constant lip service of saying we want something that works while pissing off the people on the other side. We're treating our political parties like they're special, exclusive clubs with team loyalty, mascots and themes (Team Red vs. Team Blue) instead of acknowledging what they really are: political parties representing a certain set of beliefs we may or may not identify with. We are treating these parties as if they are the only way in which to identify ourselves now. We've forced ourselves into corners by demonizing ordinary fellow citizens based on diversity of religious and political beliefs. And this is ludicrous. We live in a country whose greatest strength has always been that diversity. How can we demonize what makes us strong? I actually like that I have such a wide of people in my life. My life is way more interesting and far richer because I have so many different people around me. I'd like to think that the people in my life feel the same way, too....that regardless of what I believe, they feel I bring something valuable to the table for them.
I'm not asking for political correctness. I recognize it's a free country and that free speech is the way of the land. What I am suggesting is that you have people in your life who don't agree with you and who aren't required to agree with you. You can insult them, belittle their opinions and treat them like they're stupid because they won't tell you what you want to hear but they aren't required to match you in political and religious belief. Some of these people you insult have known you your entire life. Some of these people have stood by you through difficult times in the past and would do so again. Some of these people you have spent countless hours laughing with and consequently you have wonderful memories of them. And finally, some of these people stay in your life no matter how often you belittle their beliefs. Some of these people love you anyway because they see past the bluster and belligerence you exhibit and know you have a good heart and generally have decent intentions. They'll stay in your life no matter how insulted they may feel because they truly know you and care about you. So the question is, why is taking unkind, harsh, uncalled for political swipes at people who don't agree with you so much more important than considering who you're saying these things to? You should probably also ask yourself why they aren't doing the same back.
One more thing - if you're reading this and you start feeling defensive,
maybe you should ask yourself why you're feeling defensive. I don't
post about politics on Facebook, I rarely bring up politics to people
(especially if I know you have opposite beliefs to mine) and generally
I'll only talk politics with people who agree with me or with people on
the opposite side of the political fence who insist on discussing their
beliefs (something I try to avoid like the plague). I'd rather have a
good time with people than argue. Arguing politics exhausts me these days and maybe that's because I've had a lot more important stuff going on. I'm posting this here because I'm fed up. I and my beliefs have been unnecessarily insulted one too many times. I've had family and friends insulted one too many times. As I said yesterday, I'm tired and cranky right now. So this is me having my say.
It would be nice to usher in a new year in which people consider what they say and post before doing so. It would be even nicer to see people set aside their partisan beliefs during a holiday in which people are supposed to be coming together. It really would be nice.
Disclaimer: this post is not intended to insult, belittle or pick on any one side. I've seen people on both sides of the political fence post this stuff. These thoughts are my own and do not represent beliefs held by any organization/employer/family I may be associated with.
Merry Christmas. Bah Humbug. I have to get back to packing.
