"That guy's a moron." "The other one's an idiot." "Can you believe how stupid she is?" "What kind of simpleton makes a statement like that?" It must be an election year. Every time I attempt to read the news or see what my friends are posting on Facebook, I feel bombarded by political commentary, and most of it is talking about just how wrong someone, some religion, or some political party is.
I find it amusing only when two completely differing viewpoints happen to have postings or news articles right after each other. My personal favorite is when one pro-vaccine friend of mine and one anti-vaccine (more accurately, pro-choice in vaccinating, but "pro-choice" tends to have a different meaning than how I am using it here) friend post their links next to each other in my Facebook news feed.
Right now, I am actually finding a number of the political postings, from both friends and from actual news reporters, to be quite offensive. Perhaps that is their goal. I don't know. People are taking things out of context, spouting quotes at one another, and turning the simplest comment into some sort of flame war online. Nobody seems willing to admit that the other side may have a point. Nobody wants to acknowledge that while they have the right to their opinions, that does not make them facts. At least that is the way it appears to me.
What really baffles me though is why blanket statements are made about particular groups when it is the extremists making the comments that seem to rile up everybody who hears or reads them. Quite frankly, I'm getting tired of it. I am getting tired of getting lumped into a viewpoint I do not actually have when someone fires off their mouth without activating their brain, all because I happen to be registered with their particular political party or because I follow their religion. I am getting tired of being told that only "idiots", "morons," or even worse, "retards" believe a certain way. (And those who know me personally know that I just about hit the roof when someone uses the word "retard," "retards," or "retarded" to mean "stupid." They are not the same, and I find it incredibly offensive that anyone uses the words interchangeably.)
So let's just get something straight right here and right now. All Democrats do not feel the same way, nor do all Republicans. All conservatives do not believe in the same exact things, nor do all liberals. All Christians do not hold the same viewpoints, nor do all atheists, nor do all members of any other religious group. All women do not feel identically, nor do all men. Not all members of a particular special interest group feel the same exact way about every issue. However, a surefire way of uniting members of a group is to mass-insult the intelligence of anyone affiliated with a particular group, regardless of whether or not they agree with you on a particular issue.
Furthermore, those individuals making statements against a specific group of people ("Conservative Christians", "Liberal Atheists," "Right-wingers," "Left-wingers," to name a few) would be wise to phrase their words carefully in order to demonstrate a well-thought out argument as opposed to hurling insults towards anyone who is either affiliated with the group mentioned or happens to hold the same beliefs as those targeted. I would not allow my children to resort to name-calling when they disagree with one another. It seems to me to be in even worse taste coming from supposedly educated adults. Prove that you actually know what you are talking about by using your words appropriately to construct an argument either for or against a particular issue. Don't hurl insults at those who hold differing views, and certainly don't group a bunch of other people together for ease in name-calling. Political debates should not resemble playground antics.
I offer my most sincere thanks to any and all of you who actually debate politics in a mature, rational, and calm manner, regardless of whether you and I actually hold similar beliefs. I appreciate being treated respectfully and intelligently instead of being pigeonholed into whatever group is convenient at the time. Thank you. You are few and far between these days.
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