By not giving us a specific topic
to blog about, I have decided to blog about something that has bothered me for
some time. I speak of the politics that people espouse because their friends
and family have. Politics are very local, particularly to the extent that some
people absorb them like a sponge because of where they live or because of where
they go to school. As a result, people tend to not want to hear what they
dislike because they are indoctrinated by whatever side they give favor. I say
this and admit that I am part of this problem. Until someone can learn to think
independently, the person is bound by whatever politics he or she has
encountered.
I present for comparison and
contrast two of my best friends. One of them is attending grad school here and
identifies as a strong liberal. Her parents are both conservatives and
basically watch Fox News whenever they watch any news. Her friends are all
liberal and voted for Obama in the last election. (My other best friend is not
a mutual friend of ours, to clarify the matter).
We gravitate toward people who
share our views. She openly admitted to me that she could not be friends with a
conservative. To me, this represents inflexibility. While I admit that I do not
agree with certain conservative ideas (can we please give up on Obama coming
from Kenya? Pretty please?), I think certain ideas need more research before
discarding them entirely. To be so set within one’s ways as to completely
disregard the other point of view does your views a disservice.
I admit that hearing point of views
that I dislike makes me uncomfortable. I also admit that there is a lot I know
nothing about. Take Obamacare, for instance. The little I know about it came
from trying to disprove my other best friend’s misinformation about it.
However, I remain neutral on the subject because like everything else, it has
its pitfalls. I feel a lot of people do not recognize that nothing is
universally negative or positive.
My other best friend, the one whom
I have known for nine years, has finished her nursing degree and works as a
nurse in Jacksonville, Florida. She does not really identify as anything. On
the one hand, she dislikes Obama intensely, hates Obamacare, and leans toward
conservatism. On the other, she is pro-abortion, pro-animal rights, and
pro-environment. Her parents are both conservatives and watch Fox News. She
also lives in a predominantly red state. (Her parents are also both racist).
Where she works, everyone at the
office declaims Obamacare. The doctor she assists believes in the death panels
and the idea that Obamacare will ruin this country. She thinks that people are
better off without it and will go on rants about Obama. Although she is friends
with people who voted for Obama (myself included), she will not listen to the
other point of view. She even rejected a Snopes article I presented debunking
the death panels and invading people’s homes under Obamacare. Like my other
friend, she exhibits inflexibility.
Right or left, it does not matter
if you refuse to listen to the other side. By refusing to compromise, you end
up hurting your beliefs. There are equally valid ways to see things. Unless, of
course, you believe things that are blatantly false, like Obama being born in
Kenya. Aside from that, compromise and being able to accept different beliefs
should be a hallmark of a good society. Unfortunately, our society perfectly
mirrors our internal disorganization.
As I write this, unless some great miraculous
event has taken place between my typing this sentence and the next, our
government remains shut down. This may change before Monday or Tuesday, but
right now, the Republicans refuse to compromise. Hopefully, one can expect that
eventually both sides will reach some sort of agreement. As the shutdown
continues, real people suffer. I believe that people seem to forget this.
Ideology can hurt. Sticking to one’s principals may lead to anguish and
unhappiness.
Politics may be personal, but people take them and exhibit them on a
national and sometimes global scale. When your politics do not match up,
you should rethink your position and try to negotiate. Or, you could do what my
friends do and avoid thinking of anything different at all. After all, it is
not as though the real life ramifications could possibly have harmed anyone…
No comments:
Post a Comment