I am part of a huge family full of very right wing, fundamentalist Christian men. I long ago stopped associating with them. There was never a conversation, it was just them opining, with not the least interest in what I might have to say. It was nothing but an unpleasant waste of time. What I WOULD like, though, is for more of my liberal friends to be willing to have a conversation about the assault on women’s and lesbian’s sex-based rights and single-sex spaces as a result of gender identity ideology, a bonkers belief system that may beat the most outlandish of what was on offer in the Middle Ages. I am glad to report that one friend, with whom it was simply not possible to have such a conversation pre-election, asked me outright what I thought. Bev, I thought of you, as the first question she asked was about LGBTQ, as she knows I am L. So, the conversation started with me saying, “Well, first off, there is no such thing as an LGBTQ community, that it was like saying there was a BIPOC community. With that analogy, she understood immediately what I meant. From there, we had a wonderful conversation, and exchanges since have been great, too. Now, when we talk, it’s free and easy, and we can focus on how to get the Democrats back on track. She’s a really good person; she just wasn’t aware.
You are so gracious and big-hearted, Bev, and I agree on this 💯. Failing to do that, indeed, is a lot of how we got into this mess—and Hayes and Maddow are cases in point, as you so rightly note. It’s a matter more, I think, when you realize, as I did with my family members, that the effort/reward balance is too far out of whack, it’s OK to give yourself permission not to feel bad about giving up. But, as a general matter, making the effort to push past one’s comfort zone, and to take on the challenge of thinking independently, is well worthwhile, and essential.
I am part of a huge family full of very right wing, fundamentalist Christian men. I long ago stopped associating with them. There was never a conversation, it was just them opining, with not the least interest in what I might have to say. It was nothing but an unpleasant waste of time. What I WOULD like, though, is for more of my liberal friends to be willing to have a conversation about the assault on women’s and lesbian’s sex-based rights and single-sex spaces as a result of gender identity ideology, a bonkers belief system that may beat the most outlandish of what was on offer in the Middle Ages. I am glad to report that one friend, with whom it was simply not possible to have such a conversation pre-election, asked me outright what I thought. Bev, I thought of you, as the first question she asked was about LGBTQ, as she knows I am L. So, the conversation started with me saying, “Well, first off, there is no such thing as an LGBTQ community, that it was like saying there was a BIPOC community. With that analogy, she understood immediately what I meant. From there, we had a wonderful conversation, and exchanges since have been great, too. Now, when we talk, it’s free and easy, and we can focus on how to get the Democrats back on track. She’s a really good person; she just wasn’t aware.
That’s great! I really believe in engaging with people with different views. We should never stay stuck in bubbles of like-minded people imho.
You are so gracious and big-hearted, Bev, and I agree on this 💯. Failing to do that, indeed, is a lot of how we got into this mess—and Hayes and Maddow are cases in point, as you so rightly note. It’s a matter more, I think, when you realize, as I did with my family members, that the effort/reward balance is too far out of whack, it’s OK to give yourself permission not to feel bad about giving up. But, as a general matter, making the effort to push past one’s comfort zone, and to take on the challenge of thinking independently, is well worthwhile, and essential.