Political divides breed misunderstandings and distrust
We are in the thick of it.
We find ourselves right in the middle of one of the most influential presidential campaigns in years. All the experts say that this election season is record breaking from finances to potential voter turnout.
Many students are involved with political campaigns or with various school clubs. Many traverse the campus proudly displaying their Obama “Change” buttons. Others exhibit a McCain-Palin bumper sticker or yard sign. We see the evidence all around us of a campaign season that has garnered tremendous interest from college-age citizens.
It is wonderful that so many individuals are exercising their rights. But in addition to all the great political traditions this nation has developed, we are repeating and perpetuating another that is anything but great.
The animosity and disdain for dissenting opinions now seems stronger than ever. We all know that belligerent partisanship is nothing new, but that does not excuse or justify it. We have grown so accustomed to our opinions, to our beliefs and to remaining fixed in our socializations that we have lost sight of what makes America so great — the ability to adapt and accept new concepts with open-mindedness.
Now this is not to say that we should not be permitted to be passionate about what we believe. On the contrary, passion and commitment to an ideal are some of the highest traits of good character.
But whenever we become passionate about anything we must tread very carefully, for when dealing with such strong emotions and beliefs people often lend themselves to begin ruling out all other concepts. Passion should never supersede reason. But we still see unbridled enthusiasm everywhere. The arguments, the attack ads, the false rumors — they all contribute to it.
But most of all it is in our hands. Each of us in turn must take a look inward and truly analyze how we view those who oppose our beliefs. Numerous students are very passionate and knowledgeable about their position. However, too often they respond with anger and even, in some cases, hate for someone who disagrees with them.
How have we become a society that becomes so outraged at the mere mention of dissent? Spirited debate is a valuable part of our society. But when those involved stray away from legitimate argument about the issues and descend to attack the character of the person, they have given up all the sense and reason that should be guiding their thoughts.
There is an “us vs. them” mentality in our country. Democrats vs. Republicans, Christians vs. atheists, the list goes on. To progress as a society and as a culture we must leave such incendiary and divisive labels behind.
This is not to say that we should abolish all political parties or other groups, but we need to realize that just because someone disagrees with you, it does not mean they are the enemy. The person on the other side of the spectrum doesn’t disagree with you because they want to bring down the country they disagree simply because they want to improve the country through different means.
I was talking with a friend of mine recently about a heated political issue. This person became upset, and simply said that the only reason I disagreed was that I “must not know all the facts.”
This illustrates a common problem in our society that too many people are mistaking disagreement for ignorance. We must realize that people interpret information differently. That is why we are fortunate to have such a diverse and vibrant nation.
The bottom line is that the hate, the anger and the reactionary animosity must stop, or the nation will tear itself apart from the inside. We cannot act productively if we are too busy bickering and squabbling amongst ourselves.
All we need to do is look on our fellow Americans with compassion, even if we are very adamant in our disagreement with their position. Democrats are not the enemy. Republicans are not the enemy.
We are not simply a haphazard collection of differing ideologies and backgrounds. We are a unified nation. We are all Americans and it is time we started acting like it.
Nic Dunn is a columnist for The Nevada Sagebrush. He can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com
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on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 12:46 am and is filed under Perspectives.
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