Let’s Get Political.
Welp. Here goes.
How often do you scroll social media and see a post that looks something like this:
“I usually try to avoid politics but…” or “I am not one to share anything political usually…”
Because talking politics has become taboo and/or has been resorted to posting degrading and comical memes on social media meant to bring the other side down, which no matter what side you are on, is it’s own form of bullying/hate and gets us nowhere. I wish we talked about it more, I wish we could have real conversations and hear each other out.
But the less we discuss, I mean like actually respectfully discuss, the more we are controlled. The more numb and naive we stay, the more harm is done. The less we discuss, the more we don’t understand.
I consider myself a Christian, a follower of Jesus. I am a GOOD person. I am a human being who is imperfect and tries my best to live out of a place of love. I am no history major or political expert, but from a common sense standpoint the idea of supporting a candidate simply because they check off the boxes in my policy wish list, doesn’t seem right to me either. I feel strongly about certain issues on both sides, so then where do I stand? Who do I support? Which issues do I pick?
Why is it decided that the complex human mind belongs inside a black and white box called the political party?
Why do we support somebody just because they check a box towards our chosen political party but not for their actual character and leadership? I certainly have a lot of people in my life who I love and respect because of their character, but yet don’t always agree with–isn’t that normal?
That is where I struggle. If a President speaks in such a way that is filled with hate and causes pain to others, if he aligns with evil hate groups & promotes racism–what does it matter what policy and laws he is enforcing?
I am not a Republican. I am not a Democrat. I am not a Liberal. I am an educated human being who cares about the world and its people. I am an independent thinker who has questions and concerns that I should not feel afraid to talk about. Which is what we should all be.
Brene Brown, as always, put it perfectly:
“Here’s what I believe:
1. If you are offended or hurt when you hear Hillary Clinton or Maxine Waters called bitch, whore, or the c-word, you should be equally offended and hurt when you hear those same words used to describe Ivanka Trump, Kellyanne Conway, or Theresa May.
2. If you felt belittled when Hillary Clinton called Trump supporters “a basket of deplorables” then you should have felt equally concerned when Eric Trump said “Democrats aren’t even human.”
3. When the president of the United States calls women dogs or talks about grabbing pussy, we should get chills down our spine and resistance flowing through our veins. When people call the president of the United States a pig, we should reject that language regardless of our politics and demand discourse that doesn’t make people subhuman.
4. When we hear people referred to as animals or aliens, we should immediately wonder, “Is this an attempt to reduce someone’s humanity so we can get away with hurting them or denying them basic human rights?”
5. If you’re offended by a meme of Trump Photoshopped to look like Hitler, then you shouldn’t have Obama Photoshopped to look like the Joker on your Facebook feed. There is a line. It’s etched from dignity. And raging, fearful people from the right and left are crossing it at unprecedented rates every single day. We must never tolerate dehumanization—the primary instrument of violence that has been used in every genocide recorded throughout history.”
― Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone
Call it hokey, call it wishy-washy, but the only way out of this mess friends, is to listen to each other and love each other. To respect each other. Memes don’t change minds, going in for the attack in the comment section doesn’t change minds, but real conversation has the magical ability to change hearts. I’ve seen it happen.
