On Mutual Respect and Politics 

After years of debating on countless social media threads over the many complex issues regarding politics, I've found more often than not, discussion gets heated, personal insults begin, and the thread becomes unrecognizable as it degrades into what is known as the "dumpster fire." 

While it's easy to just say people are rude, to me there is more to it.  Political issues involve what affects our daily lives.  Taxes, restrictive laws, foreign policy affects us all.  The rudeness is often reflective of the passion people have for the numerous complex issues when discussing policies. I've had heated discussions with people caring for elderly parents, children with special needs, and people that simply have their own ideas of an optimal role for government. 

So can there be a political discussion without degeneration into spiteful comments?  I think so, with exceptions always.  

How can this near-impossible feat be achieved?  Answer:  For social media, adequate moderation.  Censorship?  Preferably not.  Respectfully disagreeing with a person's point does not negate they have a point.  It goes with the "everyone has one," which is true. 

I hope to be able to bring together a community to have an inclusive, open discussion.  So many topics tend to be the same, why not bring in politics around the globe to get input from other nations?  It would be a great learning opportunity.  

As I move forward with this blog and community efforts, I hope we can bring people together and everyone leaving with a positive attitude and points to think about.  Is it possible?  Answer: Barely

However, difficulty shouldn't make a goal worthless.  We all can stand to learn at every point in our lives.  Why would that be so terrible?  

 

On the Oxymoron of Political Safety

Since beginning this journey seeking to see if a Safe Political Space is at all possible in social media, the first and obvious issue to come up is the lack of safety amongst people. 

Why would it be like this? Once upon a time, people could argue politics all day before moving on with  Thanksgiving dinner, and they all knew where each other stood on various issues. 

These days, standing by issues is just that, standing.  In the era of 21st century social media, people talk to each other directly. Not just family, strangers across the world.  

So why the divide? Answer: It's personal.  Politics is one topic where people speak with an equal voices in free nations.  An educated or famous person's viewpoint does not cancel out a less educated/famous person's opinion. Politics affects us all in different ways; from international issues such as war to local policies like health care.  Every person is affected by politics in some way.  

Shouldn't this be a good thing? Answer: Yes, in general it is.  Freedom is about us making up our own choices.  It isn't exclusionary.  

Which brings us back to the Safe Space.  Can people feel safe expressing their political views?  That answer isn't so obvious, with many challenges ahead. 

In figuring out any issue, the correct question precedes the correct answer most of the time.  So why is it that people find themselves alienated when it comes to politics? Why the offense? 

People find their politics to be reflective of their own intelligence, experience, and intuition. In light of that, who wants to see their judgment challenged face-to-face? So, in the challenges, come the arguments, then come the offenses. 

I'm not sure a Safe Space is truly possible in Politics.   It's not an unreasonable goal for people to express their minds, interact with others of varying viewpoints, and somehow come away from the conversation without feeling anger or resentment. 

Is there good in seeking this goal? Yes. Politics is one huge topic with nearly endless possibilities of exploration. So while the Safe Space is an oxymoron at worse, it gives us a chance to think for ourselves. 

On Political Safety

After a four-year blogging hiatus, I've re entered the vastness of the Internet with a new blog and an old topic: Politics.  

There's little need to explore the hazards of bringing up politics in any situation.  Everyone has an opinion, (almost) everyone will voice it by speech or by silence.  Few of us are immune, several don't give a damn, and all of us are affected by it. 

Which brings me to the point of this blog.  Is there safety in political discussion? Not neutrality, the idea of politics pretty much negates that.  But safety as in, can politics be discussed, analyzed, explored by people in the search for learning? Can we use politics to actually bring people together, instead of the divisiveness it's known for? 

So, who is best suited for the Safe Space? Answer: Inclusiveness. 

Who's not suited for the Safe Space? Exclusivity.  People who believe only their opinions count, or is the only moral option. Anyone who believes others don't deserve opinions because of who they are for any reason in background or social standing.  Toxic narratives that don't advance discussion or learning by finger-pointing and speculation as if we on line actually know each other. 

What will we cover in the Safe Space?  Everything political.  Current events, non-American events (thank God..sorry, that's me drifting), historic events, hypothetical events, politicians, and more importantly our view of how the World comes together in light of it all. 

Do we fight in the Safe Space? No. There is a time and place for everything, and these days, the term "pick your battles" has become so frequent we now short on Safe Spaces.  Let's breathe, take it in, gain some insight, and perhaps learn something. 

As we progress with this blog, contributions to the Safe Space will be welcomed. 

Let's do this.