If you're a regular visitor to my blog, it has probably not escaped your attention that I am not a big fan of extremism.
Especially extremism that exists to the exclusion of everything else.
In a couple of days, a new President will be sworn in, here in the USA. Now, this is not a political post...it's more intended as an exploration of the changing nature of society.
When did we become so intolerant of anyone with an opinion different from our own?
When I was a kid — maybe nine or ten years old — I remember my dad and his much older brother frequently discussing politics. They were on completely opposite sides of the spectrum and would often have heated debates.
That said, their differences of opinion didn't lead to them becoming mortal enemies, nor to their entering some family rift, never to be repaired again.
And yet, these days it seems like the "opposition" is constantly being talked about like they are the Devil incarnate.
What's up with that?
As far as I can tell, it has little to do with politics, and uncomfortably much to do with a broad-based sense of entitlement to have things OUR way" in the world.
I'm not sure where it might have started, but it seems like a fair bet that we can go back to a time people started teaching their kids that "they can be ANYthing they want." And that they deserve to be anything they want.
Sure, when I was little it was perfectly OK for me to pretend to be a dragon, but it wasn't my legislative right to be able to BE a dragon.
What does this have to do with politics and extremism?
The problem here isn't opinions so much as the fact that society took it upon itself to "move the goalposts of life."
I realized that this afternoon, as a result of reading a magazine talking about vitamins and supplements, of all things.
A writer was berating some nutritionists for thinking that humans can actually get all the nutrition they need just from food.
My inclination would be to ask that person how they got here. And how their parents got here. And how their ancestors 20 generations ago got here, long before "supplements" were a thing. Clearly, they did so purely on the nutrition in their food, right?
So if they did it, why not you?
"Well, we have better lives and live longer!"
Undeniably true, but also an illustration of the fact that it's the goalposts that have been moved. We aren't any different.
Circling back to politics and opinions, we have somehow moved the "reality" in such a way that people don't just feel entitled to their opinions — which fine — but they feel entitled to be agreed with.
So anyway... a new President is about to be sworn in, and a lot of people believe him to be "the Devil incarnate" without actually hearing a word he's saying, or giving the man a chance to show what he can do, good, bad or indifferent.
But that's not about politics. And if "the other side had won, a different group of people would be saying the exact same thing, using different words, right now.
But is anyone really "right" or "wrong" all the time? I sincerely doubt it...
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Sunday!
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Created at 2025.01.19 01:15 PST
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