It has been an emotional month on the political front. First, Christian Conservative Charlie Kirk was murdered while doing one of the things he did best: engaging young people to critically think and having authentic dialog with college students, listening to them, and sharing his insights. I respected him for bringing those who disagreed up to the front of the line, and when people in the crowd booed the speaker, Charlie would say, “No! Let him/her speak.” Charlie listened and wanted authentic dialog. He changed some minds, didn’t change others, but he was respectful and committed to healthy conversation. I listened to his daily show, caught so many of his reels and admired him as a God-centered man, committed to family and our country.
Then, Jimmy Kimmel was put on hiatus. Now, I am going to say that the FCC didn’t need to be involved. Here’s the thing: Freedom of Speech means that the government can’t persecute you for your speech. It does not mean that your conversations might not have consequences. My employer has strict guidelines on what employees can or can’t say to the public. I remember my brother got his hand slapped by his employer, a prominent liberal leaning newspaper, because he was saying harsh comments about a political person on Facebook. In my opinion, people like Kimmel and Colbert have become irrelevant. They were losing money from their employers. If they worked for me and I was looking at a P & L sheet, I would have let them go as well. Not so much because of their political viewpoints but because they are no longer profitable. Late night talk shows were supposed to be lighthearted entertainment and not for crawling up on your political soapbox to slam others.
With that said, I would like to say that civil discourse has become somewhat moldy, and people plant their flags solidly in their sand and won’t hear each other. I have experienced that myself. I have lost family members and close friends because they have assumed things about me that aren’t accurate, and won’t talk to me any more. I tend to avoid social media because it can be hateful and opinionated. But I have found that when we TALK to each other without hiding behind social media or our own biases we often find we aren’t that far apart.
Last year I asked a liberal friend to tell me why he liked President Biden. Rather than bleating “Orange Man Bad” he gave me a thoughtful reply about the qualities he like about Mr. Biden. I listened to his info, and some of it I agreed with, other comments I didn’t support, but I was grateful that he took the time to share thoughtfully, without judgment or insults.
So, here is my challenge. Is there someone in your life whom you are wrestling with, or have ended a relationship with because of differences of opinion? I invite you to reach out and invite that person out for coffee or lunch and have an authentic conversation and share your thoughts and LISTEN to theirs. Rather than social media righteousness, reaching out in person would be a great alternative. I am going to try it as well. I lost a few extended family members because they hated my vote. After 30 years of being family. I will do my part to continue to reach out because I care about them. (Oh, and continue to post on social media if you want – it’s freedom of speech!)
Musings About Life 