You know the old American mantra, "united we stand, divided we fall"? Hey, people are people. All the way back to our founders, we didn't see eye to eye on every problem or every solution. We're a nation of individuals. We're not supposed to line up like lemmings and think alike. Doesn't mean we, like our Founding Fathers, can't sit down, talk it out and try to work together for the greater good.
I wish I was watching the debate on Health Care Reform with amusement, instead of dismay. It's like every other major issue our society faces today. We divide up along partisan lines, check our brains at the door, start cheering for our side and booing the other side like it was some meaningless sports event, demonize the opposition, and drag the whole country (and ourselves along with it) a little further into the gutter.
Watching and listening to what I've always considered to be normal, intelligent human beings on this issue I've come to realize that, merely by association, as a person of conservative leanings, I'm apparently a wealthy, racist, sexist, evil Nazi who would gladly jeopardize even the health of my own children for another dollar or two. I'm apparently completely devoid of compassion, empathy, intelligence and, for all intents and purposes, humanity. It's as if we on the right actually created all the problems our society faces intentionally, as part of some evil plot to destroy the world. Amazing particularly since, like all my conservative peers, I am also a stupid, uneducated buffoon incapable of thought.Then again, I suppose all the liberal leaning people I
know are communist, God-hating, arrogant elitists out to destroy God and Country, usurp the constitution, eliminate individuality and personal accountability and, by any means necessary, enforce their utopian vision over the will of the people. I'm sure my friends on the left can articulate the false taunts they hear better than can I, but I know they get it, too.Lost in all of the hyperbole is the fact that, despite our disagreements, we all want to make things better across the board and find real solutions to some daunting issues. I know where my heart is and, unpopular as it is to think this way, I suspect my friends on the left aren't that different. They've just come to different conclusions than I have.
Is that going to be an easy hurdle to clear? Absolutely not. I've put a lot of thought into this. I'm a student of history. I'm a huge champion of our Founding Fathers and the Constitution that they crafted, and I do believe that limits on government are a good thing and that government isn't going to solve many problems. I get that we disagree on this and it's going to take a lot of work to get us closer. But we're not even doing the work.
We might as well literally paint our faces in red or blue, strip off our shirts and write giant letters onto our collective chests spelling out the names of the political philosophies we subscribe too, load up on overpriced beer, pack into opposite sides of some giant stadium and jeer each other, because we've already been doing it figuritely for years.
Sports fans don't go at it to resolve conflicts and come together. The battle is the whole point. They vicariously attach themselves to one side or the other just for the fight. It's okay. The fight doesn't really matter. It's just sports. Who really cares who wins the Super Bowl? But the real issues our society faces are a different matter entirely. So why are we dealing with them like we deal with the Bowl Championship Series?
It's easy, I suppose. Makes it a lot easier not to give these heavy issues any real thought. Just paint on the team colors and toe the party line. Nobody thinks, nobody solves anything, and we always get the status quo. A little name calling, some demonizing, play the blame game, and life goes on.
I'm so sick of false premises, political spin, one-sided rushes to judgment, generalizations, watching strawmen get beaten to death and being demonized by people who don't even know me. I suppose I'm not the only one. And I suppose it's not just on my side of the political aisle.
Do we want to fix this thing or not? Does anyone on the left want to know why I don't support the current administration's plans for health care reform (and yes, like every single individual I've heard address it, I think our current health care system is a mess - despite being told Republicans say it's fine as it is). Anybody over there care why I distrust politicians and the government, and would argue that it's prudent and patriotic to do so. How about my side of the aisle? Do we ever wonder why the left trust government to fix these things? What's the rationale behind the philosophy. I'm sure there is one, regardless of whether or not I come to see eye to eye with you.
This isn't a game. I'm not playing. I've got a wife and kids, and I'm probably going to have grandchildren and great-grand children and so on. I passionately care about this, and alot of similarly important issues. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that you do, too. We might disagree on the solutions, but I suspect we share a lot of the same concerns. So do you care what I think? Or do you just want to call me names?
