Has anyone else noticed that everything we do seems to be interpreted as a political statement these days? If you wear a face mask or face covering, you may be labeled as liberal by some. Occasionally you might see someone confusing the issue by wearing a MAGA hat and face mask. There are actually people who choose plastic instead of paper at the grocery store just because the Democratic Party platform includes minimizing or eliminating plastic for environmental reasons. And be careful which brand of legumes you place in your shopping cart.
We spend a lot of time on Ella Mae, our 40-foot sailboat that is moored in Daytona Beach. She is our place to get away from it all, but you just can’t escape politics in a marina these days. There are Trump 2020 flags flying everywhere. Those of us who choose not to fly a political flag of any kind are assumed to be liberals. Of course we don’t hide our disdain for Trump, but no one considers that it might be more about him than the direction of our lean.
I am not the smartest guy in the world when in comes to politics, but I do enjoy a good political debate. I guess I get that from my dad. But have you tried to have a discussion with someone who has opposing views lately? My friend Frank and I talk politics regularly. We text each other when something breaks in the news, which seems to be hourly these days. Our political views are very similar, so it is usually a benign, no threat conversation. But try to engage with someone who has opposing views. Rarely in my experience, have I been able to sit and have an honest conversation. An opposing view automatically puts you in the other camp, making your views not worthy of consideration. Is it possible for two people with the same basic political beliefs to have different opinions?
I spent the first 18 years of my life in northeast Alabama and left for a career in the Air Force in 1981. My biggest political memories from my youth include George Wallace being shot in 1972, Nixon resigning in 1974 and his subsequent pardon by President Ford later that year, Jimmy Carter’s election in 1976 and then loss to Ronald Reagan in 1980, and finally Reagan being shot in 1981. I was a typical kid and wasn’t really interested in politics.
That was not true for my family. Every Sunday afternoon, we went to my maternal grandparents home to visit. My mother was one of eight children. When there was a quorum of uncles, the topic was most often politics. Us kids avoided Granny’s living room during those debates and it could be a miserable afternoon if it rained and we couldn’t go outside.
The discussions could be very lively at times. All but one of mother’s siblings lived within fifteen miles of Granny’s home in northwest Georgia, and three of those were within walking distance. Almost all of the in-laws had been born and raised within twenty miles as well. Granddaddy’s farm straddled the Alabama-Georgia state line, so some lived in Alabama and others in Georgia. They all had very modest upbringings and all lived very similar lives as adults. In those days, there was no internet and no one had cable television. If you were lucky, you could pick up the three major networks with the large antenna that was mounted on the roof or in the yard. Yes, this was also before FOX.
Those discussions were not for the faint of heart. You had to prepare if you were going to truly participate in the discussion. For Dad, that meant he read the daily newspaper, watched the news every evening, and sometimes he would listen to the weekly presidential radio address for extra credit. All of my uncles had been raised in Democratic states, so their beliefs were very similar. It should be noted that their religious beliefs were very similar as well.
Even though they had much in common, there was still a lot for a group of mostly southern Democrats to debate. The governor’s mansions in both Alabama and Georgia had been occupied by a democrat for almost 100 years. Many were beginning to grow weary of Democratic promises to improve life for the nation’s low income families that never materialized. I remember that my dad began following the Republican Party more closely during the Carter administration. That added a little intensity to the Sunday conversations. While those discussions often got heated, there was no name calling and no one belittled anyone because of their opinions and beliefs. It was a debate about issues. There were times when Dad would appear to be a little agitated on the drive home, but never did I hear him say anything negative about any one that had views that were different from his. It wasn’t personal. But you better believe he spent the following week prepping for next Sunday.
You might suggest that they did not take each others views personally because they were family. Possibly. But if so, why are so many families divided over politics today? According to a Stanford University study, there has been a shift in political discussions over the last couple of decades. Political discussions, such as the ones my dad and uncles participated in, were discussions about policy issues and where they stood on those issues. But there is evidence to suggest that the political divide today is based on one’s feelings about those on the other side of the political isle rather than the issues themselves. It is personal.
I believe the latter is true and it is heavily influenced by bias in the media. Just compare FOX to CNN. Each feeds the divide by the way they cover the opposing party. Additionally, many do not understand the issues well enough to discuss them or defend their views, so they resort to belittling the other side. Social media is a breading ground for political division.
I’ve been researching this issue for a while now. There will be more post on this subject in the future. I’m interested in your thoughts.
From where I sit, that’s it.
Notes
Photo: screenshot from Facebook
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psych-unseen/201809/why-has-america-become-so-divided
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/03/can-families-communicate-across-the-political-divide/585379/
Thanks Chris. I remember may of those Sunday afternoon conversations at Maw Maws