People of color
Isn’t that the term used these days for all sorts of groups of people from all sorts of countries? Aha, but it refers to us, as my friend Carmen pointed out in a blog post. He’s a Marine, loves this country with a passion, and looks at things as pretty black & white. Except for politics…
We’ve been summarily divided into red states and blue. Nobody asked us. It just happened. When? How? Who is to blame for all of this? When did one’s political views make you a red stater or a blue stater? Does this mean we have to move only to those states whose colors we represent? Does this mean I can’t move to NY someday?  Does this mean that I live in the wrong state? (I’m a red, living in a blue state).
I’ve wondered the same thing, Carmen. Who determined that Republican states are red and Democrat blue? It’s so ‘snappy,’ these labels, and they diminish the people of our country to narrowly defined groups. Then they (media, politicians…) make sweeping generalizations about group tendencies, and it’s rather dismissive.
Yes, politics tends to bring out the worst in some people. But, until recently the political discourse in this country was civil. What happened? When did that end?
Probably ages ago, but I remember the elections of 1994 as being particularly heated and nasty. I worked on a cover story of a major newsmagazine at that time about the ‘culture wars’ that were raging (before that term became ubiquitous) with the Republicans taking the House and President Clinton in the White House, and all sorts of mean-spirited accusations flying.
Carmen, you make a good point here.
I’ve been to many a political rally. Both Republican and Democrat. I go to both because regardless of what others may say, both sides have good ideas. But we have become so blinded by our polictical “stamp” of Republican or Democrat, that we can no longer admit to ourselves that someone in the other camp may just have a good idea. Or even admit to ourselves that our own political practices may not be quite good enough and pulling in ideas from the other side to help flesh out the issue would be a good idea. We cannot admit to ourselves that someone else may have a better idea.
I’ve heard people just recently calling for a third party, because they no longer feel represented by one of the two major political parties.
The bottom line is that I’m tired of being defined as red or blue based on some set of political rules of war. I’m tired of looking at the other side as the enemy. And, until the rest of society starts seeing it the same way, nothing will change. We will continue to let others define us and what we stand for and the hatred for one side or the other will continue and nothing will be accomplised in this country.
So…from now on I am no longer red or blue…..
I am Red, White, and Blue!
Now that’s snappy.
