It’s Time to be Anti-Anti

We have more in common than we’re told that we do.

Anti-LGBTQ… anti-muslim… anti-Christian… anti-freedom… anti-choice… use of this word these days has become a popular form of a subjective qualifying adjective. This means that is characterizes or attributes specific properties to a noun.

It also strengthens hate and division. If you’re open minded, please allow me to explain.

If I were anti-cats, I would be opposed to cats themselves. However, if I were allergic, I may not agree with being around a cat, but I wouldn’t say that I was necessarily, factually anti-cats in that case.

We are being groomed heavily these days to be anti-each other. You’re either for me, or you’re against me. You’re totally in agreement with everything, or nothing. You’re an enemy, or an ally. Pro, or anti.

I believe we are degrading as a species with this mentality. We have become propogandized, dehumanizing, reductionists, allowing ourselves to be swept here and there by the subjective, heavily biased opinions of our media.

We no longer ask if someone can be against some aspect of our lives and still be “for” us, still care about us, still love us.

And we have become cruel… we stop asking if someone can have a human opinion that is nuanced and complex, and see one another as a label.

So I suggest we become anti-anti. Let’s embrace our complexities. Let’s have hard conversations with people who aren’t like us and we don’t like. Let’s SHOW MERCY for a change… empathy.

It’s no longer acceptable to say, “Their views are toxic so I’m staying away.” That’s shunning responsibility and taking the easy route. It hurts to have hard conversations. But it’s the only way we’re going to heal and have common ground.

If we can’t find that — someone else will eventually force us all to find common ground in the way that they see fit. And it may not be a way you agree with.