I lost a friend and lover of 12 years because of my politics. It really hurt because we had made it through [what seemed to me to be] much more difficult relationship issues than politics. It looked as if we would never agree on the President, or the election, or his policies. So, I called her [I left a message on her voicemail] to ask if we could not talk politics until after January 20, 2021. By then, the election would be over and we wouldn’t feel the need to discuss it.
I told her that I still wanted to be friends but that we were so diametrically opposed to each other’s political views that it seemed silly to continue to talk about it. She got angry and told me I was blowing her off. I was not. I just didn’t want to argue.
If I go back to the old neighborhood [i.e.: Roseland on the south side of Chicago, Il.] I have to watch what I say because of my politics. If I speak up or speak out I’m treated like an enemy. Not by everybody to be sure, but I get enough really negative responses [which defy logic or any sensible answer] to things I post, that I feel the need to clear the air.
Because, I am not your enemy.
Have you ever lost a friend or lover due to your politics?
What’s wrong with my politics? According to the responses I get on Facebook I’m a libitard, a fool, a tool of the democratic [read: socialist, communist] plot to destroy America; I’m a Bidophile; I’m a liar, and I’ve drunk the Kool-aid.
My favorite put down came when I posted an article about 10 lies his followers believed about #45 [like Lie #2 He’s a devout Christian]. I wrote, “Please don’t resort to name calling. I’ve taught Middle School, Jr. High, and High School and I’ve been called every name you’ve thought of and some you haven’t. Name calling has no effect on me except to lower my opinion of the person who is name calling.” You’d think such a warning would deter any outbursts but you’d be wrong. One lady wrote, “I’m offended by #2 you A-hole!” [the one about #45 not really being a devout Christian]
The differences between the responses I get when I post anything political are ironic. Most of my friends tend to be liberal to leftist and support most of what I post. When I post on the ‘I Grew Up In Roseland’ Facebook page I get all kinds of illogical and emotional diatribes and emotive responses. They do not support my positions. So, dear reader, figure that when I write [about politics in particular] and when I speak or write to Roseland, it’s an open letter to all conservatives, #45 supporters, and liberals in general (i.e. you is a plural you).
25 Questions
I was asked [rhetorically on the Roseland site by a member of the group] if I hated #45 because of… and what followed was 25 densely packed questions with no attempt to group her questions by similar subject or even write them on separate lines See [Appendix A]. I was then criticized by other members of the group for not answering the 25 questions immediately.
Disagreement is acceptable (or okay); disrespect is not!
I plan on answering all 25 questions. But I’m going to answer them individually or in groups of questions that I think go together. I’m going to attempt to use scholarly [i.e. I’ll look things up] Socratic methodology. And since you hate every source I have mentioned in my posts, I’ll do my best to support my arguments with Classic Movie Quotes and Quotes from Classical Stoic Scholars. When there is no research only opinion, I’ll state as much. If that seems lazy [i.e. I’m taking too long to answer or I should be able to answer the questions without looking them up] too bad. I do have Parkinson’s disease which slows me down, and I do have a life beyond FaceBook and social media.
I’m writing this in the hope that it will help keep friends, families, and neighbors together even in the midst of political disagreement. We are not the enemy.
Disagreement is acceptable; disrespect is not!
I am not the enemy!
Appendix A
Questions for the liberals from P.J. Reynhout
I have many questions: Did you dislike that Trump made cruelty to animals a felony? Did you dislike he raised billions to stop the opioid crisis? Perhaps you feel that he destroyed ISIS, killed terrorists, including the leader of ISIS and the Iranian General responsible for thousands of American deaths, all without going to war? Did you dislike the fact that the media and democrats, Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Cuomo, and Jim Acosta said we’d be in World War III by now with North Korea, and their prophecies did not come to pass? Did you dislike Trump because under his leadership we became energy-independent and an exporter rather than an importer of oil, no longer relying on the Middle East for our petroleum needs? Did you dislike him because he wanted to build a wall to keep criminals and drugs from coming into our country? Did you dislike him because he just slashed the price for medications in some cases by 50%, which is driving big Pharma nuts? Perhaps you dislike that he signed a law ending the gag-order on pharmacists that prevented them from sharing money-saving options on prescriptions? Is your dislike for President Trump based on the fact that he signed the Save Our Seas Act, which funds $10 million per year to clean tons of plastic and garbage from the ocean? Did you dislike that he signed a bill for airports to provide breastfeeding stations for nursing moms? How about the fact that he signed the biggest wilderness protection and conservation bill in a decade, designating 375,000 acres as protected land, was that why you dislike him? Did you dislike that he loves America and puts Americans first? Did you dislike that he made a gay man the ambassador to Germany and then asked him to clean up national security and un-classify as much of it as possible for transparency? Did you dislike that he’s kept almost every campaign promise (with zero support from Congress who work against him daily!) plus 100 more promises because Washington was much more broken than he or any of us thought? Do you dislike that he works for free, donating his entire $400,000 salary to different charities? Did you feel that he did this for four years because he was “showboating?” Do you dislike that he’s done more for the black community than every other President? Do you dislike that he listened to senator Scott and passed Invest In Opportunity Zones to help minorities. Do you dislike that he passed prison reform, which gives people a second chance and has made quite a huge difference for the black communities. Do you dislike that he passed VA reforms to benefit the very people who served our country and defend our freedom? Do you dislike that he’s winning and signing new trade deals that benefit Americans, instead of costing us more? Did you dislike him because, unlike all of the presidents who came before him, he recognized Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel, relocated the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv there, and then proceeded to negotiate four peace accords between Israel and Arab Nations when many in the media were predicting there would be war? Was that why you disliked him? Do you dislike that he loves his flag and his country? Do you dislike that he calls out and has shown time and time again that the mainstream media in our country has become corrupt and incompetent, twisting the truth to control and mislead the people and he is trying to protect us from this? Do you dislike that he has been a President totally committed to ending wars and bringing our troops home?
Great post. It’s funny that I lost lots of friends due to posting memes. I did it to be funny not really to offend anyone but the more people blocked me or deleted me, the more memes I posted. But I’m all for opening up a dialogue versus just being offensive and disrespectful. Most people would rather block and ignore me than have a serious conversation about such issues.