Politics has always been unappealing to me.
When I was younger, I just didn’t care. Now that I care, I’m tired of it.
One of the biggest problems with politics is the polarization it creates. Each side is mad at the other side and blames them for everything. It’s a primitive “us vs. them” mindset which prevents us from seeing people as individuals. Instead, we clump people together in generalized groups and treat them as our enemies. Our tendency to categorize others bleeds into every part of our lives.
Let’s put this in perspective.
Whenever I go snowboarding, I notice the rhetoric of snowboarders versus skiers and how people say one side is better than the other. The two sides often don’t get along. Though the slopes have become friendlier, it was once a big deal when snowboarding gained popularity in the 1980s — some ski resorts even banned people from snowboarding on their mountains.
Here is the distinction I want to make: I’m not a snowboarder, I’m someone who goes snowboarding. For this example, snowboarders don’t exist, only people who snowboard. Skiers don’t exist either, only people who ski.
We are all people first and foremost. We’re all in the same group. People aren’t the political party they associate with. Everyone is an individual, and we all have individual differences.
Try to recognize your own opinions instead of agreeing with everything your political party says. And try to listen and understand other people’s individual opinions, even if they agree with a political viewpoint you despise. If you actually listen, they are probably different than the generalized ideas you have in your mind.
Andrew Brand | Argonaut
We must think for ourselves. Don’t let the ideology of political groups do the thinking for you. Otherwise you become robotic.I try to stay outwardly neutral in my political stance. I find this to be to most effective way to interact with and understand those around me who have different views.
This should be the approach journalists should take. Although I have strong political beliefs, I don’t feel the need to share everything with the whole world.
What I do share, I want to be helpful and encouraging. Many people are passionate about their views, but that doesn’t mean they need to share them — especially if its negative and destructive. This is how I prevent myself from falling into the “us vs. them” mindset. Your beliefs will always show through your actions, no matter what words you speak.
The phrase, “Think before you speak” has never been more important. We should question our words and ask why we feel the need to share what we want to share.
I’m disappointed by all of the political spectrum. This is nothing new. But, we can do better than this.
It’s OK to be passionate and have strong beliefs — in fact it’s incredibly important. The only person we are at war with is ourselves. And the battle is love vs. hate and indifference.
Let love win. Be the answer to the problem.
Andrew Brand can be reached at arg-[email protected]