Written: October 15, 2017
I think about the political divide a lot, and how I consciously close myself off from family members who don't share my views—whether or not it's a good thing to do. I think it's more or less a natural reaction because you don't want to waste yourself on people who actually believe you're garbage because you support something they don't.
If you talk to them, opposing views will inevitably come up, and then that's who the person becomes to you—someone who thinks you're trash, and you think they're trash because they support (in your mind) disgusting ideas or people. So how the fuck do you talk to people then? Do you only talk to and get close to those who align with your own politics?
Some think it's inhumane to categorize everyone or ban them from your life because of what they believe, since people aren't just their politics, etc. It really seems like some people are, though. Just some.
When they post meme after meme of [Insert Party Here] sucks, or they take a jab at something you can't change, like your sexuality or race, and they do this day after day, you start forming a resolute image of them in your mind. You don't think of them as a good person anymore, and least of all someone you'd like to get to know.
But then I think these views seem to be contained to Facebook or other social media, and they only feel safe to talk about them behind a screen. OR when they've had a few drinks and feel like getting into an argument for the sake of it. Is it in the hopes of 'reforming' you, or do they just feel so deeply about their beliefs that they can't keep them in anymore?
We should all be free to have our own beliefs of course, but telling people how to feel about others, especially if they say things that enrage or disgust you and to just 'get over it and get along with them' is wrong.
You actually don't have to get along with everyone. You don't have to let everyone in. If certain people are bad for you, why should you let them in? The thing is, I don't believe in having people around me that will make me hate being alive or feel ashamed of who I am.
I'm a woman, gay, and physically disabled. I'll never want right-wing republicans around me who post memes about how I'll eventually burn in eternal hellfire, no matter how sweet they've been to me in person.
They don't want my liberal, homosexual feminism around them either, so it's a win-win. Yeah, I could be the kind of person who befriends everyone regardless of what they believe, because maybe this type of thinking feels like I'm being too selective.
But really, at the end of the day you want people who you don't have to walk on eggshells around, people who are supportive and people you can whole-heartedly support.