There was a time in my life when I held everyone's opinion equally to my own. If someone disagreed with me about anything, I would say 'well you are entitled to your opinion' and leave it at that. But it seems that opinions have turned into less of a flexible viewpoint and more of a 'I'm right and You're wrong' viewpoint. I have only met a few people who can disagree with someone, yet still maintain a mutual respect and admiration of the other person. For the most part, I have been abused, degraded, insulted, and relegated to an inaccurate definition of my true character. I have always thought outside the box, never accepting anything at face value. On the other hand, I believe everything until proven otherwise and I do not usually have to wait a long time to decide on something. Up until the end of last year, I have been tolerant of the abuse. But now I take a stand. Anytime I see a news article that I find wrong, I post on its comment board. I really should know better than to read those threads, but I am far too curious for my own good. What I see there is the epitome of human wreckage. It's nothing but narrow-minded bigotry spouted by couch-potato philosophers and political critics who have long fallen for the fear-mongering and lies that are rampant in the media. Simply stating a fact or your interpretation of the story can earn you the kind of disrespect I never thought possible in this 'great nation' of ours. More and more I am ashamed to be an American. And it is not because of our President, and for the most part the politicians. It is because the average American has become so blind with hate that they cannot see past their computer screen. Just the other day, I commented on a news article about Rick Perry wanting to make English the official language of the United States. My reply was that English has always been the official language and I proceeded to spout my knowledge of the benefits of being bilingual or multilingual in the world. Learning more than one language has been proven to increase intelligence and understanding, and it is encouraged in most countries of the world because of the value it can bring. But despite my reply being educated, non-confrontational, not to mention grammatically accurate, I received several replies calling me 'a typical fucking liberal'. What does that have to do with it? I am a person first and foremost. I do not like to be labeled as a 'liberal' or a 'conservative'. Based on the way I live my life, most people would probably call me a liberal. But I also hold conservative values. I prefer to look at things as they come to me, regardless if they are considered one or the other. Why live as a label? Why not be me?
So I have made the decision to stand up for myself. I have plenty of people in my life who love me regardless of my faith, political ideals, world viewpoint, etc. So why should I waste my time dealing with other people and their bigotry. It is, after all, my right to ignore them (although ignoring anything I am passionate about is very hard!).
On another note, personal responsibility is dead in this country. Too many people want to blame me for things that are either none of my business, or things that are not my responsibility. Are you too lazy or selfish to take responsibility yourself?
So this year, I will be very liberal with who I allow in my life, starting with Facebook. I have people on my Facebook from every facet of my life, from friends I grew up with, friends from high school, music buddies, local friends, and friends I work with. But I also have allowed people to friend me for the sake of Facebook games. I do not mind having these people on my Facebook page, but if I find too much bigotry, deleted. Attacking me for something completely stupid, deleted. I'm sorry if this seems harsh, but I cannot continue to let myself get riled up and anxious because someone cannot handle who I really am.
To those friends who support me no matter what, I love you guys! You guys are the reason I still see the light.
excellent post. :-) ~)O(~
ReplyDelete"Based on the way I live my life, most people would probably call me a liberal. But I also hold conservative values." - This is pretty much how I "roll" as well and despite the fact that it seems like a nice happy medium I have had my share of opinions being blasted and name calling in the past as well. Kuddos for sticking true to who you are and what you believe.
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