One thing I dislike about political signs (for the big candidates everyone knows about) is how I respond to seeing them.
I was on a long drive today through rural areas I don't live in. I saw the expected increase in pro-Trump signs, compared to where I live. Some of them were...well, let's just say their enthusiasm bordered on aggressio…
One thing I dislike about political signs (for the big candidates everyone knows about) is how I respond to seeing them.
I was on a long drive today through rural areas I don't live in. I saw the expected increase in pro-Trump signs, compared to where I live. Some of them were...well, let's just say their enthusiasm bordered on aggression. Of course I don't like them because my observation of Donald Trump is that he's a bully and a liar and incompetent at every job he's known for, and it appalls me that he might be re-elected.
The deeper reason I don't like them is that I can feel myself building a little wall inside me when I see them. The stones, stacked into place with fearful hands, are shaped like this: These folks aren't trustworthy. This place is full of mean people. These people are ignorant. I can't believe so much of my country hates the rest of my country so much.
And the thing is, I don't know any of those things are true. They probably aren't. There are more things in heaven and earth, etc, and I know THAT's true because I know multiple Trump-supporters, and I talk about politics sometimes with ones I don't know, and most of those people are decent and sincere.
I figure there are Trump-supporting folks who drive around my city and look at all the Biden signs and think: This neighborhood is full of evil communists. These people are insane and don't know what's good for them. Do they hate America or do they just not get it?
Obviously, they are wrong about me and my neighborhood. We let political signs do too much of our talking. We should actually talk more. Or maybe better, chop wood together.
Yes, Tara. Yes. The borderline aggression is exactly what I mean. Did you read Joe Wilkins's Fall Back Down When I Die? He captures a lot of this quite well, the aggressive blowhards who THINK they believe something, then the shit hits the fan and they're, "But I didn't mean for THAT to happen." That is the environment we create. I never want to be so dug into an ideology that I can't see its flaws when confronted with them.
One thing I dislike about political signs (for the big candidates everyone knows about) is how I respond to seeing them.
I was on a long drive today through rural areas I don't live in. I saw the expected increase in pro-Trump signs, compared to where I live. Some of them were...well, let's just say their enthusiasm bordered on aggression. Of course I don't like them because my observation of Donald Trump is that he's a bully and a liar and incompetent at every job he's known for, and it appalls me that he might be re-elected.
The deeper reason I don't like them is that I can feel myself building a little wall inside me when I see them. The stones, stacked into place with fearful hands, are shaped like this: These folks aren't trustworthy. This place is full of mean people. These people are ignorant. I can't believe so much of my country hates the rest of my country so much.
And the thing is, I don't know any of those things are true. They probably aren't. There are more things in heaven and earth, etc, and I know THAT's true because I know multiple Trump-supporters, and I talk about politics sometimes with ones I don't know, and most of those people are decent and sincere.
I figure there are Trump-supporting folks who drive around my city and look at all the Biden signs and think: This neighborhood is full of evil communists. These people are insane and don't know what's good for them. Do they hate America or do they just not get it?
Obviously, they are wrong about me and my neighborhood. We let political signs do too much of our talking. We should actually talk more. Or maybe better, chop wood together.
Yes, Tara. Yes. The borderline aggression is exactly what I mean. Did you read Joe Wilkins's Fall Back Down When I Die? He captures a lot of this quite well, the aggressive blowhards who THINK they believe something, then the shit hits the fan and they're, "But I didn't mean for THAT to happen." That is the environment we create. I never want to be so dug into an ideology that I can't see its flaws when confronted with them.
Amen to that last sentence!
And that book is most DEFINITELY on my list.
I'm pretty sure it won the High Plains Book Award for Best Novel here a few weeks ago.