Offer a person a penny for their thoughts and they often put in their two cents, giving you more than you bargained for. Opinions are like a nose, everybody has one.
I guess I’ve always had opinions on just about everything from what to put or not put in your coffee to religion to politics, sports, cars, fashion, books, movies, etc. Having an opinion puts you in the position of having to defend it and possibly having to give reasons why you don’t like the other choices.
It used to be fun having discussions about the above-mentioned themes and made for lively conversation. Will the Braves stay ahead of the Phillies to win the pennant? Did the latest action movie live up to your expectations? Is your favorite author actually writing his own books? (They seem different than his usual style).
But what about the elephant in the room … the upcoming presidential election? What used to be a topic of interesting and lively conversation can now be a toxic journey that can cause the end of friendships, family problems and the questioning of deeper issues such as a person’s values and even mental stability. Many people have just stopped such discussions in their tracks … “NO POLITICS!”
The 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns reached the most emotional, vicious and lowest levels of civility that I can remember. The feelings have not gone away. If anything, they are worse. Obviously conversations between like-minded individuals work, but even then they seem to reach a frenzy whereby trying to defend their ideas against those of an ‘enemy’ that is not even present. As for those of differing opinions, I find that today the discussion explodes into an argument from the very start. People only want to hear what they want to hear, shutting out a differing opinion that may possibly destroy their self-imposed dogma.
If you don’t listen to other ideas, you do not learn anything. If you only repeat what you hear on TV news, then perhaps you haven’t thought about what you really believe.
Having discussions can be stressful.
Having an opinion can be a burden.
So when people ask me something I now reply, “Is that a trick question?” It throws them off.
I agree with your sentiment completely. I know a number of people who have completely shut down for fear of being attacked both verbally and physically. They will vote, in fact you couldn’t keep them away without locking them up. The tragedy is we’ve made it okay (even encouraged people) to attack anyone and everyone who does’t share your exact opinion. This is a slippery slope and I fear it will not end with the November election. The violence we’re seeing in our cities is evidence of this unfortunate change in our culture. Condoning intolerance and violence will only result is a backlash that kicks-off a downwards spiral that ends poorly for all. It seems we have learned nothing from the many politically induced tragedies of the last century. Stay safe everyone…..and vote.