Have We Lost Our Way to Civil Discourse?

 

Everyone has something to say, but few are listening. We've lost our way when it comes to civil discourse. Within the last week alone I've been called a traitor to my race, low IQ, and have been compared to roaches. By complete strangers and trolls on the internet, you may ask? No, by family and friends.

 

This has been happening for years to the point that I feel immune to it. I mention these things not for myself, but because I know there are many that are experiencing the same. I see it personally, with friends, and even in pop culture where you get cancelled if you don't hold the political opinion that is expected of you based on your skin color. It is a very sad problem we have. Being ostracized socially based on political preference affects our lives. 

 

I've heard all my life that two things you shouldn't talk about are politics and religion. I believe now that that's been a huge mistake. Maybe if we had been open to talking about those things we would've learned by now how to handle opposing views with charity and respect. Not to mention that to not talk about arguably some of the most important things in life seems counterproductive.

 

Many have made the case that to disagree with leftist policies is racist, sexist, and homophobic.   This forces either silence or compliance at the risk of losing family and friends. What genuinely concerns me in these encounters is the difference in which I think about those who disagree with me and how they think of me. I genuinely just believe they are wrong. They genuinely believe that I am evil, that I'm either racist or ok with racism, among many other despicable things.

 

There's a dehumanizing aspect that goes on when you think of someone in that way. I've noticed that most people that I've known for a while are not affected at all by any disagreement. The love is there no matter what. There's something about that love that's already built that protects the relationship and remains untouched by political differences. Which leads me to believe, as cliche as it may sound, is that all we need is love.

 

History tells us that once you dehumanize someone, there's no limit to the evil that you may commit against them. This is really dangerous. We can be better, we should be better. I've not always been perfect at this, but I've learned that when talking to people with differing opinions it's important to be able to understand their position exactly how they mean it, how they understand it, not the caricature of it that we tend to make up in our mind. A good example of this is the abortion debate. The pro-life position is not 'we hate women' just as the pro-choice position is not 'we love killing babies.'

 

I believe for the most part that we want good for one another, we may just have different ways of getting there. But we will never get there if we can't even talk to each other. Diversity of thought is a strength, or else we end up in an echo chamber where we'll never know if we are wrong.