Ok, so recently I have had a few conversations that have stuck with me, and not in a good way. I can't seem to get them out of my head. Essentially they were about politics and my disbelief in realizing that someone I know fairly well was so misinformed about the candidates - going so far as saying to me that she knows people who believe that Obama is the "antichrist." Her words. Wow. I mean, I kind of stared, in shock at such an utterly insane comment. She was serious. Then I just kept repeating, "that's insane, I can't believe someone would actually think that" over and over. I became a broken record (like I can, I know) and she said, "Heather, these are your peers who think that." My friend is my age and by peers, she meant her peers (and I think mine).
Ok, after having some time to chew on this, I have a few points.
First, I have a hard time even stating the obvious and even addressing the first comment. I doesn't even deserve a comment it is so ridiculous.
But the second, that the person who said this was my "peer" really bothers me. It assumes that she knows me well enough to know what "label" or "category" I place myself in and that she would think I am a "peer" with this crazy person is kind of insulting, I think.
While I think that ultimately we are on different ends of the spectrum politically, what I realized is just how intolerant I am of her view and the view of the conservative right, in general terms. I always thought of myself as opinionated, but willing to see other sides to issues and work out compromise in coming to an "agree to disagree" moment. I have family members and family friends who are conservative, pro-life bumper sticker Republicans. But I am finding it harder and harder to really give an inch in the conservative direction, and I find I have little patience for people who are so ill-informed and make irrational statements based on lies and propoganda. I just can't take it. I think I used to be able to separate the person from the political view much easier in the past. What I have come to understand, really, is that your politics really is in part based on your core beliefs about what you value and who you are. I am trying not to make this into a hallmark card, but I really do think this. Our perspectives and life experiences have shaped who we are and what we believe and I think this is a fundamental part of politics and why so many people are passionate about it. Because we care. And if you care, it means that it is important to you and what is important demonstrates in part, who you are and your identity. I think that is why I can't ignore/can't separate the person from the politics.
Don't get me wrong, I am trying not to place a value on this judgement. In other words, I don't think conservatives or Republicans are bad people, just that we have fundamentally different values that make up our core beliefs. This might mean that on some level there is an incompatibility and you might never get to the "agree to disagree" level.
In this case, I am ok with my judgement of this random no-name "peer." I think this person deserves my "judgement" just as much as I am probably getting it directed back at me through the universe. I'm not going to agree with this "peer." I'm ok with it. I don't have to understand everyone....this sounds like a senior convocation we heard today, and it probably had some influence on my rant.
What do you guys think? Should I accept all the people of the world? Should I be tolerant of varying viewpoints? Or is it ok to judge people based on their politics??
Well, it's late, and I'm sorry if this entry doesn't make any sense and I rambled on.
Signing off,
The Judgemental and Intolerant Liberal
3 comments:
Tee hee! I'm a judgmental and intolerant liberal, too, so I quite agree with everything you just said. I think that the thing I find so worrying about this election - and particularly since the introduction of Palin into it - is that so many intelligent people, people I normally respect, LOVE her. I look at her policies and tremble in fear. And the people voting for her - the ones I know - are essentially good people. I just don't know how they can reconcile their values with hers. Or maybe I don't know them as well as I thought I did. This is a really divisive election because so much feels like it is at stake. And the more I read about the Republicans' policies, the more I just simply disagree, and yes, I too make judgments about the people voting for the Right because it does say a lot about their core beliefs that this is how they want to see our country run.
That was a long comment just to say, 'H, I totally agree'!!!!
Ah, this is why we are friends!!! :-) So glad! I know, McCain/Palin ticket scares me and I am really really worried about the outcome. My only hope is that the Republicans self-destruct. I guess we will have to wait and see!
Well you totally know me. I can't even have conversations with people of polar opposite political views. I've tended to stick to the idea of "lets just not talk about it."
I do have a similar problem you do, in that I have some very good friends who are staunch Republicans, and I just can't wrap my head around it. To me, on the whole, the stances of the Republican party are selfish and uncompassionate, which I can't reconcile with my friends who are always nice to me. Sometimes I think people hear what they want to hear or they were raised that way and just don't think differently??
I don't know, but I am proud of you for standing up, I am tired of Republicans screaming at us. We need to stop taking it!
And ps, I agree with Kate's comment, this whole Palin thing is mucho scary. People are dumb, that can be the only explanation I can think of, LOL!!!
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