A one-time mentor and long-time friend of mine commented on my position regarding politics and social issues a few weeks ago in an email. His words have been bouncing around in my head ever since.
I respect this man’s opinion more than you could imagine. We come from similar backgrounds and regions. We’ve taken similar paths in life. He’s intelligent, educated and insightful. I’ve rarely known him to open his mouth without first researching every aspect of the topic in question and then taking time to contemplate the ramifications of his words. I would take his words for gospel without question. But he missed something in his analysis of my stance. If he could miss it, I fear that most people miss that same “something” when they read this blog or on the rare occasion that I actually converse with another human.
My friend referred to my stance as “middle of the road”.
Now…the middle of the road in literal terms is the most dangerous place to tread. Walk the yellow lines on any highway and you’re subject to being struck from either flow of traffic. Sooner or later, “Squish, just like grape”.
However, in the terms of politics and social issues the middle of the road has always been considered the safe zone. If you stay safely tucked somewhere in the middle you have less chance of offending someone. If you don’t select one lane to vehemently occupy and defend you’re safe from the ire of the drivers on both sides of the road. Anymore though, the people who take the “middle of the road” approach are seen as pussies who are afraid to commit to a cause or an agenda and subject to road rage from the Left and Right lanes. Middle ground has become a no-win situation in today’s America.
The mistake I feel my friend made by suggesting that I occupy middle ground on today’s hot topics was a common one. You see it every time you turn on a television or open a newspaper or magazine. You hear it every time you turn on a radio. Society today seemingly deems it necessary that we fit into one box or the other. You’re either a liberal or a conservative. You’re either a Republican or a Democrat.
Well…What if you’ve taken a good hard look around and decided that you’re neither? Why do we have to fit in one of those two narrow-sighted boxes? What if you’re just an American who wants the best possible person representing you in your local, state and federal government? What if you’re a humanist who wants nothing more or less than legislation that makes sure no child goes hungry and every citizen is treated fairly? There are a lot more than two fundamental ideologies to consider here. Who the hell made the rule that we have to choose one party or the other?
There is no rule that states that. It’s not in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. I will admit that I have not done the research but I’d bet if you went through the constitutions of each and every state individually that you won’t find a law that mandates you have to be either a Republican or a Democrat. It sure seems like everyone feels that way though, doesn’t it? Why do I have to abide by the entire narrow minded platform contained in one of those two boxes?
Ya know…you can learn a lot from baseball. The number one rule for successful batting…if your head’s not right, step out of the damn batters BOX.
Bernell Trammel was murdered in broad daylight in Milwaukee this past week and that’s a travesty. I never knew him. I’d never heard of him until he was splashed all over the news due to the circumstances of his death….but I’d have liked to have had a conversation with a Black Lives Matters supporter who was urging those in his community to vote for Donald Trump.
https://www.bet.com/news/national/2020/07/25/black-trump-supporter-killed.html
I’ve seen maybe a dozen interviews with people from his community talking about Mr. Trammel…he could have quite possibly been the most interesting man I’ve seen on the television in a long while. To my knowledge he and I had only a few things in common. We were both men…we were both Americans….and neither of us allowed a specific political party to dictate our convictions. I would have really liked to have had the opportunity to hear his views. I wonder if he thought he was hanging out in the middle of the road?
I’ve told y’all before…I don’t tell anyone what to believe…but I will from time to time make a suggestion…this is one of those times. If this political circus and all the social unrest in the nation have you uneasy, step away from the mayhem, open your mind and your eyes and take a good hard look at it all. Take a little bit of time and do the research. Try to see things from the perspective of the party you’ve never been affiliated with. I promise you that if you can do it, you’ll never see the nation the same way again.
Step out of the box. Regardless of what you’ve been led to believe, there’s no rule that says you can’t be a capitalist and a tree-hugger. Nothing in the Constitution says that because you believe in a strong military you have to oppose Roe v. Wade. There’s nothing in the Bill of Rights that says one Amendment carries more weight than another.
Friends, make no mistake…I’m not on the Left side of the road, the Right side of the road or hanging out in the middle of the road. I’m sitting on a hilltop looking down at the road and wondering who the hell’s going to clean up the mess. Come on up and take a look at the wreckage….there’s plenty of room up here.
And HEY! SMILE, dammit.