"A person should not believe in an -ism; he should believe in himself."
- Ferris Bueller
Some days, it's a good thing no one can hear me think.
I've had a day filled with surly thoughts. Maybe I'm grumpy because I've been paying too much attention to the news. The people running for president, their cohorts, the war in Iraq, the endless lies, scandals, and useless, reduced-fact, hyped-up reporting is just depressing.
My opinions on these matters are considered completely politically incorrect. It's not okay to say that you think war is wrong because then you'll be labeled a "peace-monger." It's not okay to say that the environment should be saved for future generations because then you'll be labeled a "whacked-out tree hugger." Or that you're a hypocrite because hey, "you have wood furniture in your house don't you?"
In fact, the other day I saw an ad for t-shirts advertising World Vegetarian Day, which is on October 1. I realized that it's not even politically correct to say that you don't eat animals. Then you're labeled as some "animal-rights activist." You can't endorse the idea of equal rights for women because then you are a "bra-burning feminist."
This name-calling and constant focusing on "-isms" is a big part of what polarizes people. As soon as labeling begins, thinking stops. People are more complex than a label and to reduce them to a sound-bite is unfair and limiting.
I am a lot more than a peace-mongering, whacked-out tree hugging, vegetarian, bra-burning feminist. In fact, I'm not much of an extremist at all. But if you believed the news media, I am.
So I guess the bottom line is, never assume, and believe in yourself ;-) |
