More politics

[ellenmillion]

I hate politics because it divides people. You've got to take sides, and no one seems content to gather facts and make choices quietly by themselves... it always seems to turn into them versus us, where people are either afraid to voice their opinions because they're afraid that people will judge them, or they are so quick to voice their opinions that it feels belligerent.

If I told you guys that I voted against the ban on killing wolves from helicopters, would you judge me by that, or would you judge me by the way I've treated you for who knows how many years? Would you remove your artwork from EMG if you knew that I disagreed with the classification of polar bears as endangered? Would you consider that I'm not environmentally aware by these opinions, even though I religiously re-use even my trash, and live a lifestyle more green than a lot of hippies and a lot more conscious than any politician? Do you think that I'm a horrible person because I disagree with your definition of life and think that even if you're right, it can be okay to kill? Would you stop buying from EMG because I voiced these opinions in my livejournal?

I don't have many illusions about wildlife. Every day, I have fewer illusions about people.

I'm curious. Would you rather keep your illusions about the people whose opinions you've not heard, or would you rather know, risking disagreement? Does disagreement equate to losing respect?

Comments

[jemstone.livejournal.com]

Disagreements do not equate to losing respect, at least not in my book.

I may disagree with someone on something, but respect is something that must be earned - and it can only be earned through deed and example where I come from (or at least where I like to think I come from).

I'm more likely to respect someone I disagree with if their opinions are based in thought and examination than I am to respect someone who agrees with me on everything I say just because they feel it necessary. At least if I'm disagreeing with someone, we can try to reach a middle ground. Sycophants have no middle ground.

I actually had a conversation with someone yesterday about how I have frequently voted across party lines based on how good a job I think someone will do.

He was floored. Stunned, actually. The entire concept was foreign to him. Here I am, a registered Democrat, saying that I would vote for someone who was a Republican if I thought they could do a better job based on their experience, platform, and list of stated goals. This is the same guy who blows a head gasket when I tell him that even though I approved of Bill Clinton politically, I felt that morally he was a skeeze. Say what you will about the man's personal life - politically, he at least tried to do everything he promised he would. Not a lot of politicians in America can say that.

This concept, though. Respecting someone, even if you disagree with them. It was foreign to him. Completely and totally. I tried to explain that I used to respect Senator McCain, but that I lost that respect when he went from being the Party Firebrand to just another W-Quoting-Toady. How could I respect McCain? Was I insane?

Respect has less to do with agreement, for me, and more to do with principles, actions, goals, and carry-through. And it bugs me that so many people equate agreement and mutual alignment with respect.

[metasilk.livejournal.com]

And it bugs me that so many people equate agreement and mutual alignment with respect.

Me too. I think -- this is me watching my parents came-of-age-in-the-late-60s for datapoints -- it's hard to be respectful of differences in daily practice when where you thought you were going feels (suddenly) so far away; when disappointment, fear, and time-running-out are larger in your heart than curiosity, stubbornness, energy, and commitment.

Not to mention the stories we are told, we tell ourselves, about how and when to practice respect in disagreement and conflict.