Twenty-five years ago, before I ever really paid much attention to the world or politics, I vaguely recall hearing terms like "liberal Republican" and "conservative Democrat."
I recently Googled those terms just to see if perhaps my mind had played a trick on me. Turns out I didn't imagine it; such terms did exist, and they were once used. Today there seems to be no wiggle room within either party. There's only the Left or the Right, Liberal or Conservative, Republican or Democrat. Moreover, if you claim to belong to one of those groups, then you obviously adhere to the tenets therein wholeheartedly and without exception. If you're a Conservative-type where fiscal matters are concerned but you believe same-sex couples should be able to marry, then you're really no Conservative at all. If you lean more toward the Liberal side when it comes to abortion but think the government might actually be over-reaching, then you had better just keep that quiet. It's all or nothin' around here, folks.
When did we become so polarized as a society? Not just politically, either.
Consider the public opinion explosion over police shootings, the existence of racism or the Confederate flag. It appears no one can be slightly correct on a point -- or just a little wrong. They are either spot on or completely delusional. More and more, it seems, this country is teetering on a precipice, an internal conflict stemming from the current notion that we all must be of the same mind and "If you're not with me, you're against me." Lest we forget, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi has already taught us that only the Sith (followers of the Dark Side) deal in absolutes. There ARE such things as middle ground and gray areas.
Furthermore, we need to be reminded that having differing opinions on a topic is still acceptable in America, although you might swear the opposite if you took your cue from social media. The Facebook Monster has done a fabulous job exposing the underbellies of your so-called friends and neighbors. Many are flabbergasted as to how they could have been so duped by people they swore they knew. Imagine coming to the realization that some of the people you have been acquainted with for years -- those with whom you attend church and school -- have been racists and/or idiots this entire time. Thank goodness for Facebook, for had it not been for that picture captioned with that same tired, uninformed rhetoric or that insensitive comment/reply they posted, no one ever would have suspected a thing.
Lately, I have seen something going around social media encouraging followers to go ahead and "unfriend" them as they were determined to vote for (insert candidate here). I promise I will never unfriend people because of the political party they claim, the candidate they support or the fact that we are polar opposites on any certain issue. Your political allegiance will not affect our relationship, but the way you speak to people about it most certainly will. Some people seem hell-bent upon not only being right, but also showing that everyone else is wrong. They've become walking proof that your mouth and ears cannot be open at the same time. They only criticize, chastise and alienate others with their pomposity. They are downright ugly, and when people don't want to listen to them anymore, these callous, condescending blowhards insist it's because no one wants to hear "the truth."
We seem to have forgotten that this country wasn't founded or maintained by people who agreed 100 percent -- or even 75 percent -- on everything. According to what we learned, that has always been a part of what makes America great. So why, now, do we all need to get on the same political page?
While bipartisan relationships may be strained in Washington, D.C., let me humbly remind you, my friends, that we, the people, do not represent Congress. They represent us. We should demand better. There is no truth to the idea that we cannot work together to better our nation.
So I urge you, whatever side you're on, to stop perpetuating the nonsense. This non-compromising, antithetical, friend-or-foe mentality in the hands of today's society will only give rise to an eventual war between these political factions for total domination -- the winner gaining the power to reconfigure this nation in the mode they deem as "The Right Way."
That's not democracy, ladies and gentlemen.
That's fascism.
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Robert Honeycutt is the office manager at The Weekly Vista. His email address is [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 08/24/2016