The death last Sunday of Michael Storey--one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine people I've ever known--reminded me how much I yearn for the days when we actually cared about each other, and treated others as we want to be treated.
Instead, we have hyperpartisans dividing everybody up and assessing worth based on how closely one hews to the party line. No difference of opinion, or new idea, or fact-checking allowed. And if you don't get your way, just bully the opposition until they give in. After all, there are only winners and losers in life, right? Nuance is a figment of the imagination. And by the way, imagination is evil too.
In this world that politics made, anyone slightly left of center is part of an angry, destructive mob full of radical feminists, bullied men and diehard socialists who believe in completely open borders and complimentary abortions every time they buy expensive lattes and charge their electric cars (not sure how they afford them as they also don't work, simply collecting welfare ... or are wealthy ne'er-do-wells ... whichever it is today). Anyone slightly right of center thinks that Gilead is an idea whose time has come because women should just shut up and take whatever abuse they're given, that guns (especially AR-15s and the like) should be worshipped, and that science and fact-checking are just so much hokum.
Sure, there are people who actually believe those things, but they're a tiny subset. Most people occupy the center and are more thoughtful ... but that doesn't stop even them from spreading the stereotypes around, repeating talking points, or bullying others who don't agree with them.
Can we just stop that? Pretty please?
Here's what I would love: A world where we make our own decisions and think for ourselves, where we don't believe what someone says just because we agree with them but rather because we've checked the facts ourselves. A world where we understand that "winning" isn't the only thing, and that there aren't always winners and losers. A world where we're not ready to be offended at the drop of a hat.
A world where political campaigns are truthful and concentrate on what the candidate will do for constituents rather than how evil the opponent is or who that opponent might consort with. (Seriously, if you're going to use Conor Lamb as a symbol of the evils of someone voting with Nancy Pelosi, you're going to fail: 84 percent is not "nearly 100 percent." The voting-record comparison tool at ProPublica.org is your friend.)
A world where we can sit down and talk with people of opposing views and not end up in shouting matches, instead treating each other with kindness and respect (which is earned; if you treat people badly, don't be surprised by pushback). A world where what's said is taken at face value and not intentionally misinterpreted. (Even with all the dumb things she's done, no, Hillary Clinton did not call for violence in a recent interview, so stop spreading that one around. Saying you can't be civil with Republicans isn't the same as saying, hey, sure would be nice if someone punched that guy.)
I still hope for the best but expect the worst simply because that's how things happen now. The supposed winners keep acting like they're victims. The supposed losers keep plugging along with heads down and no clear direction. When they do rear back (like greeting incivility with more of the same), they're rewarded with more cries of victimization. And everybody in the center rolls their eyes and hopes for sanity to take hold again.
Nobody wins in this scenario. Especially those of us who aren't fans of politics because it's now bled into everything. I don't drink coffee, but if I did, I wouldn't be able to go to Starbucks without someone calling it proof of political bias.
Maybe I just like chocolate croissants.
Who's to blame for the loss of civility? We all are, but especially those of us in the middle--center left, center right and just plain center--who let it happen. We thought that, like toddlers, the extremists would scream themselves out, then wake up refreshed from their naps. We forgot that toddlers need rules too. And maybe a binky.
We let politics, including the scourge of party-line voting, infect every part of our lives. We forgot that good and bad ideas can come from anywhere and instead insisted that only good comes from our side, which is virtuous and strong, while only bad comes from the other side, which is cowardly and craven.
We need a break. Sure, there's no hope of it happening until at least after the election, but c'mon. Take a day where politics are nowhere to be found and we can just talk to each other ... about our kids, critters, hobbies, music ... whatever we can without feeling the need to insult each other because we're from different walks of life. Relax, maybe eat some dessert (I highly recommend the Red Velvet Cake), and just be content in the company of your fellow humans.
Or just keep being a brat. The adults, meanwhile, will be over here ignoring you.
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Assistant Editor Brenda Looper is editor of the Voices page. Read her blog at blooper0223.wordpress.com. Email her at blooper@arkansasonline.com.
Editorial on 10/17/2018