Sometimes there are things that I just can’t shake loose. The amount of hatred and bullying I see in social media is disgusting. Why can’t we just disagree with someone without calling names and assuming the other person is a facist/bigot/sexist/racist etc? I’ve had enough. Let me share an example of what happened this past week to show what I mean.
My past week has been crazy busy. My brother and his family visited this past week. We took a trip to northern Minnesota (Duluth) and northern Wisconsin. We attended a Jackson Browne concert in Bayfield, WI. Our initial plans was to attend the concert and spend the next day in Duluth/North Shore because neither of them have been there. Now here is where the story gets nuts.
Chance Encounter with Trump Team
We are having breakfast Tuesday morning at the Hampton Inn in Canal Park, Duluth and I notice a gentleman wearing a Trump jacket. It looked official. I knew that our President was traveling to Duluth for a rally on Wednesday. We had no plans on attending. Long story short, we strike up a conversation with this gentleman. Asking questions like what his role is in the rally, how long it takes to prepare for a rally, etc. He told us he was in charge of the VIP section and congressmen. He asked if we were planning on attending and we said no. He told us if we changed our mind, he would give us VIP tickets. I am thinking. VIP tickets? Are you kidding? So we talked about it and said to ourselves, what is the chance of ever being to a President’s rally sitting in the VIP section?
We all said yes. We attended the rally and were within 15 feet of him as he walked out. I also thought that maybe I would have a chance to connect with some congressmen/influencers and could talk about the issues with the trade tariffs and how it’s affecting ag and my family. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Trump Rally
Here is the disgusting part. No matter how you feel about our President, we should at least show some respect. I noticed in the crowd Kevin McHale (in fact, I have a picture of him in the crowd), a past Minnesota Timberwolf basketball player/coach. He is a Minnesota sports icon. Everyone knows Kevin. Evidently, word got out that he attended the rally and a partiucular sports writer suggested, through Twitter, that he should never work in the NBA again. Why?
Because he attended the rally.
Hatred
Are you kidding me? What has our country become? Why do we have to label people? Why do we always have to say something? Can’t we just think what we want without having to spew hatred comments? Can’t we just move on? Do we have to divide everyone with a name? Everything is not black and white. I know someone else from the ag community that attended but told me he was glad I posted the video because he absolutely could not post it on his facebook page because of reprecussions from family members.
Just. so. sad.
I am just horrified by it all.
So where do we go from here?
We just need to stop. We need to listen to each other. We need to understand that we are not all going to agree. And that’s okay. We can still talk and respect others that don’t see life the same way we do. We don’t need to respond to every single thing we hear. And if you don’t have anytihng nice to say, don’t say it. Spreading a few kind words goes a long way. Let’s be who we would want to be friends with.
Well said Wanda.
I enjoyed your comments and I find them to be too true.
Tell the truth in love and maybe some minds/ideas might be changed.
Yes, possibly. It make take time also.
Wanda, I agree with you on premise and in what I practice myself. Two things: 1) I have engaged in more political discussions online than I could count. Sometimes on posts I make and sometimes on posts by others. When I take issue with something and post a differing opinion, I never make it personal. I usually try to support my position with a cited credible source. But I can’t tell you how many times the response from the other side is usually a personal attack or name calling. Common names are “Libtard” or “Snowflake” or “Elitist” (I was called that recently when I merely mentioned that correct spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure are important for credibility). One of the Parkland High students (who were attacked relentlessly) said it best. “When they can’t offer evidence for their opinion, they attack.” 2) My parents taught me that if you want respect, you must first give it. In other words, it starts first with us. Donald Trump has never understood this. He’s a bully, which is how he has always gotten what he wanted. The very unfortunate piece is that he has now emboldened such behavior in all quarters of America. No matter the president over the last 50 years,whether it was Obama, Bush I or II, Clinton, or Reagan, all of them always showed their adversaries respect and always attempted to engage in civil dialogue, as it should be for a world leader. Our world under Trump is far different, because Trump is far different. Civility? Yes. Absolutely! But don’t expect anyone to give it to Donald Trump, because he doesn’t deserve it. Pavlovitz describes it right. https://johnpavlovitz.com/
I’m with ya. It is depressing – seriously depressing. We have to remind ourselves of all the good things happening. Wonderfully kind, thoughtful and compassionate people are everywhere. Thanks for being one of them.