Yesterday Kevin emailed me, Carolyn and Casey, our friends that going to Costa Rica with us, the video below with the note: “just in time for our vacation together!!” You see, as soon as we planned this little getaway we unanimously decided that political discussions would not be allowed on this vacation. Carolyn and Casey are very conservative and Kevin and I are very liberal and our views could not be more different but all love each other very much.
You may have already seen the video below, but if not, it’s well worth a watch.
For the most part, I took a social media break from posting politically related messages (though I didn’t refrain completely), and I’m going to admit, there were more than a few people I removed from appearing in my facebook news feed during the election season. Not because I didn’t like these people, but because reading their posts would make me angry and indignant and frustrated and I would get all riled up and anxious and suddenly I would be sitting behind my computer very upset over a random little post. And I decided that I just didn’t need that.
We all want good things for our family and friends and the people in this world (at least I’d like to think so), we just have different ideas about how to accomplish those things. We all have different priorities. For me, fiscal policy will never be more important than equality and human rights. One of my favorite bloggers wrote a post entitled “apathy is a privilege,” and I couldn’t agree more. Regardless of who could have won this past election, my life really wouldn’t have changed much, but there are so many others whose lives would have. And for that I am enormously thankful for the outcome of the 2012 election.
I know for those on the other side, this can be a sore subject. I understand that if the roles were reversed I would be feeling the same way, but I know I’m not alone when I say the hatred and vitriol spewed by so many during this election season was just too much. Like many others, I was so ready for it to be all over.
And now it is.
So like the video says, whether you are a seal-clubbing-confederate-flag-waving-oil-whoring-chickafila-eating-war-monger, or a tofu-munching-welfare-loving-prius-driving-obama-sucking-gay-marriage-fantasizing-granola-crat, let us not let politics divide us…thinking differently is what made this country great.
Your red funky chairs always welcome my feet,
Love your blog and jealous of your trip!! xox
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Totally agree! Opinions make the world go round.
I’m so glad that I’ve found your blog. Your posts are so thoughtful…and thought provoking. I’ve been so sick of all the rhetoric and venom spewed lately…nice to reflect on how much we DO have and how blessed we are to live here.
I very much agree with your sentiments. Without going into too much, I’m glad the way the election turned out. And I also admit that had it not gone the way it did, I may very well be slightly bitter. BUT, at the end of the day, everyone wants the betterment of the nation and its people. If not, why else would everyone be so passionate and “riled” up?
At the same time, there’s a fine line to be drawn. When things didn’t go a certain way for the “other side,” there were A LOT of inappropriate things said in the online world. Admittedly, it’s too easy for things to be taken out of context or misinterpreted in the online world but, regardless of that some things said were still VERY inappropriate (even if it was out of context).
So…aside from my side note above, I agree with you that thinking different is what makes this country great. If we all thought the same, we’d be robots and clearly, we’d be boring. =)
xo,
nancy
I work in the news business and I was SO ready for it to end too. I also live in the south – so there were a lot of very disappointed people around here. Love your perspective on things! Enjoy your vacation with your very different friends.
It’s nice to see such an optimistic post. I want to be able to say that I agree. I want to be able to say that I actually feel that way and that I actually respect other peoples opinions. For the most part I do, but I also think that our media has become extreme and 24-hour news desks need ratings. What drives up ratings? Extreme political views. And no, I don’t respect the political feelings of the extreme — from both sides.
I also wish that I could agree with the “everyone wants the betterment of the nation and its people.” But after growing up in the DC area, I really, truly don’t believe that everyone feels that way. I think some people feel that way, and I think others are motivated only to serve their own self interests. There may be an argument to suggest that supporting your own interests does lead to the betterment of society – but that I’ll leave that issue for another post.
With that said, I very strongly support our first amendment rights. I very strongly respect the right to be crazy and be outspoken about any radical and nonsensical and selfish idea that you may have. But, no, I don’t think I’ll really respect the content of your opinion if you take those views, and I may not even appreciate the fact that you really pander to those ideas. Legally speaking, we have more protections for the first amendment than any other nation on the planet. And that’s pretty effing cool. So, we got that going for us… which is nice.
@shannon, I shared this post with my buddy Josh and he said….. “I’m not so sure having a different opinion on some of this stuff really is ok, like global warming… if we’re all dead – maybe then it’s not ‘all good’”….
I definitely think that liberals by nature are accepting of other people’s beliefs and for the most part that’s a good thing, but we also should stand up for things that we know are right. I’m looking forward to this trip and love our friends, but it will probably be impossible for me to not bring some facts to light
I’m just seeing this now so I wanted to say thank you so much for linking to my post on apathy! I really appreciate it and am so flattered anytime I find a link to my writing floating out there on the internet. I appreciate so much other bloggers who are taking the time to eloquently express themselves as you have done here. Thank you for sharing and for adding to the conversation!