Okay, I admit it. I was originally going to write a fairly snarky post about how I was going to spend my July 4th trying to figure out if I would even be actually allowed to celebrate this holiday, being a liberal wussy who apparently hates America, according to Karl Rove and all the conservative authors who write nasty books about us. But I suddenly realized how tired I am.
No, not an "I haven't been sleeping" tired. It was more the tired brought about by seeing attacks on my ideology from the other side. A walk through a bookstore today was an assault of book jackets with titles like How the Loony Left Is Ruining the Country and Liberalism is a Mental Disorder. (I know I'm not the funniest guy in the world, but that Michael Savage title is really lame. I mean, it's barely a joke.)
BUT!
Before any of our conservative readers start on a tirade about how the liberal books bashing conservatives are just as bad, let me head you off at the pass. I agree with you. Granted, I do think that many of your titles are a bit more bullying than ours because I hold a deep-seated, immature belief leftover from high school that many conservatives and Republicans are all the bullies and jocks and mean cheerleaders who used to beat up and humiliate we geeks. But that's an unprovable and unfair hypothesis and, like I said, a very overreaching and extremely immature one. Besides, I know that some of you can produce a list of really mean liberal titles that will disprove my point. So, please disregard what I said. It's simply something that makes me feel better about myself and is a good justification of why I believe what I believe.
But here is how I plan to spend this patriotic weekend. I am going to work on the following list and try to figure out what it is that all of us, as both Americans and human beings, have in common -- liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, Socialists, Communists, and any other political and ideological groups you can think of. What is it we can all agree upon that we believe and that, most importantly, we want? Because I'm convinced that all of us are after the same things in this life. It's just that the ways we think we can attain and achieve these things are what lead to all the problems and anger and name-calling these days. And, as much as some of us can occasionally enjoy the jokes and irreverence and conflict that come from these differences (hey, what's more fun than sarcasm and satire?), it's times like today that I realize we have to call a little time out.
Because I'm convinced we're not that far apart in what we desire for our country and for our families and for ourselves. I actually think we're exactly the same in what we want. And so here is my list so far:
1) We'd all like ourselves and our loved ones to not be killed.
2) We'd all like ourselves and our loved ones to be happy.
3) We'd all like ourselves and our loved ones to be completely safe whenever we choose to be.
4) We'd all like ourselves and our loved ones to be comfortable whenever we choose to be.
5) We'd all like to be free to do whatever we want.
6) We'd all like ourselves and our loved ones to not get hurt by someone who's doing whatever they want.
7) We'd all like to not be yelled at or made fun of.
8) We'd all like to believe whatever we want to believe.
9) We'd all like for people who don't agree with what we believe to stop telling us we're wrong.
10) We'd all like to be right.
Now, how do we Americans achieve all these things for ourselves without convincing ourselves that our fellow Americans who also want these things but who believe in different ways of achieving them are all evil and stupid and hellbent on our destruction?
Not to get all "hippie" on you, but I think it has to do with the way we all talk to each other. (I guess I should have said "rap to each other" if I really wanted to pursue the whole hippie thing. But I digress.)
The right bristles when they hear the left getting overemotional and preachy. The left bristles when they hear the right getting mean-spirited and accusatory. Any and all opposing views are a direct assault on what we believe and then anger sets in because the success or failure or acceptance or denial of our beliefs directly affects our ability to enjoy numbers 1 through 10 on our list.
So, how do we solve this? I can't say for sure, but I think a good start might be to always look at that list and realize that whatever the other side is doing or saying or trying to get us to believe is all in service of the protection of their own personal list. Once we see that they're trying to get the same thing that we are (i.e. 1-10), then at least we can understand that we're all after the same thing and, hence, the people on the other side aren't simply trying to destroy the list for ALL Americans.
Thus, I think the best way for me to spend this 4th of July is to sit down with all the people I know who don't believe what I believe and run through the list with them. I know that we'll all agree we want what's on the list. And then maybe that can start a level-headed discussion about how we each believe these goals can be attained. Sure, we'll disagree on almost all the ways in which we think our lists can be protected, and it doesn't necessarily mean we have to back down from our positions, but at least we'll realize that we're all going for the same thing and that ultimately we're not that different from each other. And maybe the beginnings of a little understanding will begin to comingle with the hot dogs and beer that are sure to be around us all.
And at least that's a start.
I hope.
But it's still okay to make jokes about it all, right? Can we agree on that, too? I mean, I've gotta have at least a LITTLE fun on my day off.