Through the magic (or scourge, depending on your viewpoint) of Facebook, I recently got back in touch with an old school friend. When I was growing up, this friend was someone who treated me well while most other kids were very cruel to me. I know he’s a decent, kind, and goodhearted person because I witnessed those attributes when we were both too young to hide our true characters and our selves were revealed through daily actions.
Since we have had only sporadic contact for the last few decades or so, I didn’t really know much about the sort of person he was on other levels. While I feel that I know his core character, I didn’t know much about other aspects like his current political, religious, or social views. I only knew that he was a good person, had some spiritual questions and confusion at one point, and was deeply interested in music.
Through the snippets of information that he has put up on Facebook, I’ve learned that he’s politically conservative, pro-gun, and strongly Christian. I, on the other hand, am politically liberal, such that I don’t think that “socialism” is a dirty word. I am also anti-gun and am more of a New Age/Buddhist thinker. At first, I was shocked at how our mentalities were so different when we’d grown up as comrades in KISS-fandom (that’s the grease-painted rock group of the 70’s, not lip-locking). How could someone who loved rock and roll so much end up so conservative and have self-professed “redneck” tendencies?
Like many very liberal people, I’ve sometimes felt that conservative thinkers are “wrong”, stupid, selfish, or lacking in morality and sensitivity. Mind you, I’m not talking about political theater like Rush Limbaugh or Fox News, but sincere conservative discourse. I’ve believed that their desire not to use tax money for social programs is based on greed and a wrong-headed notion that everyone has the same opportunities in life and those who “fail” made the wrong choices or didn’t try hard enough. My thinking has always been that we all have choices in our lives, but not everyone has equally numerous or good ones. It is possible to do all the right things and still find oneself in a bad position, so we should be our brothers’ keepers and help people even if it means our material quality of life is reduced somewhat.
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Article comments
1 - Ruvy
This was a very interesting article - that would have been better placed in the politics section - just to teach the dismissive writers there how to look at more than one side of the issue.
2 - Shari
Hi, Ruvy, and thanks for your comment. Choosing politics or culture was difficult since this has a foot in both camps due to the cultural discussion points about America and Japan.
I'm not sure that dismissive writers would be capable of understanding the message I'm trying to send, but you may be correct in that placing it here represents a missed opportunity.
3 - Silas Kain
I was thinking, Ruvy. How about a chain of Knish Kiosks called Ruvy Thursdays? Is that too dismissive?
By the way, Raytheon is presenting a new missile defense system for Israel. What say you on the proposal?
Shari, I do like this piece. It reminds me how I need to be more open minded if that's possible.
4 - roger nowosielski
Ruvy's Thursdays goes with Groovy Tuesdays. You're on a roll, Silas.
5 - Ruvy
How about a chain of Knish Kiosks called Ruvy Thursdays? Is that too dismissive?
Not if I'm getting the profits, or at least a cut of them - and especially if the food served is kosher!