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Disdain for political commentary

Generally I abstain from, and disdain, most political commentary. However, hypocrite that I am, I now indulge in sharing a view that I have.

There are no sides. Should you happen to call yourself a Democrat, Republican, an Independent … whether your flag is green, confederate or bears a rainbow, you do not belong to a club of like-minded thinkers – unless perchance, you don’t actually think about stuff and are just looking for a chance to be right, indignant and angry. And if that’s your thing I can’t say I haven’t been there, so no judgement (or as little as I can muster.)

Health care is not “an issue.” Nor is fiscal responsibility, environmental responsibility, international relations, abortion, rights for people with any of the pigmentation variations, sexual designations or awesome culinary influences … throw a dart at your favorite topic for ruining a perfectly good cocktail party. Each of these has many, many facts to consider (most of which, the average Joe – nay even the literate intelligentsia) know only a little about. Within the context of one of these massive-issue umbrellas, one might thoughtfully explore seven or 70 different and perhaps even seemingly contradictory inclinations.

I’m not proposing we all just shut up. (Certainly not me, anyway) But the concept of sides is one of the problems preventing calm, rational, respectable discourse, that will help us find great solutions to complicated problems. Some of the people who voted for Clinton in the last election own a gun, live in Alabama and attend Jum’ah at their local mosque. Some of the people that are planning to vote for Trump in 2020 have created inventions or started companies designed to reduce single-use plastics, and donate to Crossing Borders. Some of the people that faithfully wrote in Bernie last time have their eye on La Riva this time, don’t vaccinate their kids, feel they’re too busy to recycle, go to mass on Sunday, are gluten-free and feed stray cats.

Couldn’t we just assume that we’re all decent people on the same side and that we have different ideas about how to fix stuff? Political races have turned into logicless, name-calling fests because we bought into it. We bought into the idea that we are smarter, holier and way more informed than the people who don’t hit like on our Facebook posts. But we’re not. We’re just like them.

Christine Kight

Williamsport

Submitted via email

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