People are calling each other the most horrible names, often based entirely on political disagreements.
A group calling itself “Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights” calls Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and presumably other SC justices who might vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, “women-hating fascists.” Really? Tens of millions of women and men in this country who disagree with the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision to legalize abortion all hate women? And support fascism? Is that true? Is that an accurate characterization? Is it necessary to demonize the people we disagree with? Is it useful? Are the people on the other side of the abortion debate evil people?
One of the most difficult tasks for human beings is to empathetically understand the humanity, the virtues, the values, the decency even, of those we fundamentally disagree with on big, important issues. I call it CONFLICT APPRECIATION. Can we – and are we willing to – appreciate the point of view of those we disagree with? Not as in “I appreciate that those who disagree with me are racist, fascist, misogynist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic (or anti-Semitic), capitalist (or socialist or communist), anti-American, anti-democratic, anti-everything-good-in-the-world spawn of Satan!” No, I mean appreciate as in recognize that people with good heads and good hearts can espouse different values and support different policies, different ones than we do – and even vote for different presidential candidates than the ones we vote for!
This might seem like the most juvenile and obvious point one could possibly make about political disagreements. But I don’t believe it goes without saying that those we disagree with may be just as intelligent and ethical as we are. The political debates in this country have become so vicious. The quality of public discourse has, in my opinion, sunk so low, that we all need to be reminded, periodically, of that truth so well expressed by a president trying to avert the most lethal challenge in the history of our nation:
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.”
– Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, 1861