Another goal of this little, humble, insignificant blog of mine has been to dialogue on topics relating to politics, etc. It seems that instead of listening to each other, speaking from a place of open-mindedness we too often make assumptions and presumptions - usually wrong ones - about others based solely on how we view their politics.
For example, recently it came out into the open that because i was more of a Liberal, people in my family viewed me as hating capitalism, despising wealthy people, wishing for white people to suffer because of the problematic history of race in our country, etc. They believed that i hated the rich, that i called wealthy people names, that i believed ordinary people to be “racist” - along these lines. All i can understand is that they believed this about me because i am Liberal - not because of any conversation that we had previously had on any of these subjects.
Sadly, it made evident that not only are we not talking with each other in good ways about politics, but we are listening too much to people on “our side” when they talk about what people on the “other side” think. Personally when i hear what conservatives say about what i think, it frustrates me because nothing could be further from the truth. (See above) It’s actually rather comical to hear these pundits blather about imaginary boogeymen.
The biggest problem that i see with our politics, however - with our national as well as personal conversations on these subjects - is the lack of empathy that goes into them. If we as individuals could only listen, then try to put ourselves in the proverbial shoes of our fellows, walking around a bit, i believe that we would have much better understanding among us, and much less rancor. This notion that someone shares their experience, then someone else denies the truth of that experience - that is not going to get us anywhere; not on a national level nor a personal one.
I can tell you from experience that having my truth invalidated by someone who thinks they know is an incredibly painful experience and one that does not lead to goodwill. Besides, who am i to tell someone that they absolutely did NOT have that experience? I have not lived their life. It seems absurd to me to claim another’s truth is not true.
What our political views & ideas really boil down to is an emotional foundation. It has been proven that we filter information based on our already-formed view of the world. What feels correct & true to us is accepted; the rest is discarded. Unfortunately what gets discarded may actually be true. But this is who we are: emotional beings. We think we are rational, insightful beings who only change our minds based on empirical evidence. And yet this has been proven false time and again.
There has grown or become more visible in past years an alternative right wing movement. This movement eskews “mainstream” (or as they say, lamestream) media. At least this is my summation - i deign to venture too far into telling you what they do or think.
In my effort to understand, to empathize with this group i have tried to see from their point of view. Well, okay it seems emotional: they feel that there are certain groups, vulnerable groups (kidnapped children? The unborn? Christians? They themselves?) who need championing. It pulls at their heartstrings thinking of these helpless creatures of God. Efforts are made to galvanize these like-minded people motivating them through sheer emotion or belief system.
Deeper than that, it seems that there has been a fear instilled in them: fear of loss of some sort of understanding of what is or what should be. The way i see it, especially for the older generation that is now moving out of positions of power and influence, it is scary to them to have their fundamental ideas questioned; but not only questioned, rejected. Perhaps it feels like a personal rejection: “i feel this way, therefore it is who i am - rejection of my feelings or ideas is a rejection of me personally.”
Maybe i am veering into a tangent but try to stay with me: fifty, forty years ago or so, hetero white people were the pinnacle in society. They had all doors open to them. They were the “norm.” They held nearly all positions of power. Things seemed normal to them. Even if this was all unspoken, implicit. Television showed people like them, in ads or shows or movies. Girls are this way, they wear pink, they like these toys. They grow into women who act in certain ways, and do not act in certain ways lest they be criticized. Boys are another way, they act like this, they wear certain colors, they like these toys. They grow into men who act in certain ways, cannot act in other ways lest they be judged inadequate men. This is how it is, this is a fundamental understanding. It makes me feel good to know that these things are true.
As the years have passed, these understandings are being questioned: not everyone is hetero - non-hetero people should enjoy the same civil rights as hetero people, not all girls like certain toys, and now girls want to be boys?!? This has to feel disconcerting. The once masters of society, the deciders of what is “normal” are being challenged, their views, their feelings are being challenged. It feels unsafe to relinquish ideas that were once so commonplace, commonly accepted and regarded for ideas entirely alien.
On some level, i feel sorry for these people. It has to be hard to go from being the definition makers of society to being sidelined - in less than a generation. That experience must be painful and difficult. Here is where i try to take my own advice and empathize with them.
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