13 August 2006

Talking Across The Canyon


I have a friend. I know him to be a decent, caring person. He is a family man who genuinely cares about both his home and his community. He is also a Conservative. Not just to the right, but so far off the right edge as to challenge sanity. This man would make the Freepers bow down in admiration. I couldn't vote for one of the candidates he supports without a knife to my throat and even then I would think twice about it .... Well there is one, but he's an egotistical, humorless ass who just happens to do a good job.

So how can I call him friend when I reside slightly left of center? It's simple: He listens. He doesn't hear, but he listens. Every once in a while some bit of reality creeps in and he actually acknowledges that I might have a point. Every once in a while one of his points worms its way into my thinking and I concede he might have a point.

We argue across the great divide. No we don't argue, we fight complete with name calling, cited news articles, examples of betrayal. We spit, claw, and are overjoyed when we draw blood. The man gives me a headache like you wouldn't believe. We won't even begin to mention the blood pressure. Heaven only knows what I do to him simply because I'm more verbal and can swear better.

This is the magic of America. Two people with wildly different viewpoints can not only exist, but actually keep talking without the urge to pick up a weapon and destroy each other. Of course he is wrong all of the time and I am right all of the time. So let the battle go on ... as long as I am proven right and can say, "I told you so".

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jamie...
I have a few friends who are on the opposite side of the political fence also....
One of them owns a boat and has been bitching about the price of gas and how much it costs to run his boat only a short distance...
I finally had it and one day told him..."I have no sympathy for you..
you voted for this...mission accomplished"....it started an argument....but this time he actually listened to me and acknowledged that if Gore had won in 2000, we wouldn't be over in Iraq...
we are still friends...

it feels good to be back on line...

Durward Discussion said...

Welcome back Renee. It takes a lot to get through the wall constructed of fear, ignorance and talking points based on total fallacies. There are times when I consider a battering ram bolstered by psychiatric counseling and a university level course in logic.

All you can do is keep pointing out the flaws in their reasoning and the lack of historical perspective.

enigma4ever said...

Walls come crumbling down eventually...and I have seen many Repugs come to see the Light...and also been horrified with Bushco...so I have faith that eventually your friend will see that you are indeed Right....but good of you also to see the Value of keeping Lines of Communication Open ( too bad that Bushco has not learned that lesson , eh?)

enigma4ever said...

BTW Dada 's Blog on my Blogroll has great post ( Saturday) about Walls- check it out...I think you would really appreciate...