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"The much needed shift you are longing for is only going to come about when we get to know each other as people and not as members of some party or race or whatever."
100% agreed. This is essentially the first thing I wrote after Biden's election - medium.com/illumination…
Part of the shift I'm talking about is the extreme, borderline-psyc…
"The much needed shift you are longing for is only going to come about when we get to know each other as people and not as members of some party or race or whatever."
100% agreed. This is essentially the first thing I wrote after Biden's election - https://medium.com/illumination-curated/joe-bidens-most-important-job-is-to-de-simplify-america-f89c7467b2c7
Part of the shift I'm talking about is the extreme, borderline-psychotic discomfort with differing opinions. Discomfort with differing opinions isn't new, of course, but it feels so much more universal than it did. I'm constantly amazed at how often people will completely ignore or simply get mad at irrefutable evidence that they're wrong. The bubbles people live in are so impregnable in 2024. And it makes conversation impossible.
Agreed….which strengthens my belief that my roughly-speaking “libertarian” values might be useful here. For decades, I have loudly and publicly proclaimed that I don’t care if Charles Manson is my next door neighbor……or anyone else….consenting behavior between and among adults should be off limits to any government bureaucrat….you do you and let me do me. Just leave the children and animals and defenseless alone. Most problems can be solved at the hyper local level. I am in the extreme minority where I live (Detroit) with something like 90% Democratic Party registration and zero percent libertarian, but I get along just fine with every single one of my neighbors…..zero problems. It isn’t, at all, complicated. You just have to talk to each other, respect differences, help where needed, and stay out of other people’s business.
"I have loudly and publicly proclaimed that I don’t care if Charles Manson is my next door neighbor……or anyone else….consenting behavior between and among adults should be off limits to any government bureaucrat"
But you don't actually believe this hough, right? You do, in fact, want the government to keep you safe from criminals and you see the danger of cults. You understand, as in the case of Manson and...certain other people, that human beings can and do fall victim to cults of personality and behave in ways that are corrosive to society and dangerous to themselves and others.
"Loudly and publicly" proclaiming values that you know you'll never actually have to suffer the consequences of is exactly the same game the Abolish the Police lunatics played, for example. But they would absolutely care if suddenly there were no police around. Just as you would absolutely care if Charles Manson were your neighbour. It's okay to admit that it's not possible to solve every problem yourself.