This post is a bit painful to write because it's extremely personal. And I suspect there are many other people who will be able to identify with my experience and the resulting feelings.
I recently re-connected with a young man I've known for quite some time. I considered us to be friends. But after spending some time with him, I walked away knowing that I now see him in a different light and I'm not sure our relationship will ever be the same again. I am so disappointed.
He is a proud "conservative" and he made sure to sing the praises of Trump and the Republican Party (because all those liberals are ruining the country). When he did that, he was actually attacking and mocking who and what I am! Trump and the current Republican Party are against everything I've spent most of my adult life supporting and working to achieve or improve:
- Human rights
- Women's rights
- Voting rights
- Equal protection of the laws
- Equality
- Reproductive autonomy
- Public education
These issues are extremely important to me. They are basic human values. It became very clear to me that this young man and I do not share those values.
Now don't get your knickers in a bunch. Let me repeat: this is about basic human values, not policy. Policy is setting the tax rate or establishing zoning regulations or entering into a trade agreement.
The concept of equality most certainly can result in policy, but first, it is a basic human right. This seems to be a no-brainer: equality is something we should value and strive to achieve, right? However, even as I type, Republican legislatures around the country are trying to figure out how they can achieve even more control over people as they advance their agenda of reducing rights, not enhancing them. Equality isn't a word they understand, let alone an issue they will value and support. A person cannot say he's all for equal treatment while complimenting -- and voting for -- the current crop of Republicans!
I've been an activist since I was 13 years old. That's when I first experienced being discriminated against because I was a female. A lot of years have gone by since that first kick to the gut and most of those years included working toward equal treatment for all. That work and those beliefs did a lot to make me who I am today. When this young man wouldn't even blast the people who attacked The People's House on January 6, 2021, he showed me that he and I aren't even in the same ballpark, let alone playing the same game.
I'm sure others have had similar experiences. I will think long and hard about this, I'm sure. This man probably didn't mean to attack me as a person, but that's exactly what happened because we, as people, are a combination of our experiences and beliefs ... what we want for ourselves and others ... and how we treat our fellow human beings.
Maybe with the passage of time, I will be able to react differently. But right now, I'm sorely disappointed and I'm not sure where to go from here.
