We are all prisoners of our
prejudices.
To ignore them is to signal
a death knell.
Tribalism,
political parties, almost all religions and ideologies require the adoption of
some form of prejudice. They therefore promote
a basic mistrust in our fellow man. Some
of their doctrines may have legitimacy yet, in reality, most of their beliefs are
riddled with irrationalism. The problem is that they are mechanisms used to support
what their members want to believe. They
are not truth seekers.
Everyone
knows this to be true of every organization they are NOT affiliated with. No one beliefs this could possibly be true of
the organizations they are affiliated with.
Hence the problem.
Each
and everyone of these prejudices are carried into the polls on election day. Racists vote.
Bigots vote. Feminists vote. Business owners vote. Employees vote. The rich vote. The poor vote… and on and on. The challenge isn’t that these biases exist. That is human nature. The real challenge is in our unwillingness to recognize
them in ourselves. Are we willing to set
them aside for the betterment of our nation, society and mankind as a whole?
As
we all know, the issues are NOT typically paramount in the minds of the
American voter. Their selection of a president
is primarily based upon Anger, fear, hatreds, preconceived notions (bigotry,
discrimination, political party, tribalism and etc.), which can, and usually do,
eclipse the issues.
We
have reached a point in America where it is essential we recognize this failing
and begin disciplining ourselves to focus on issues - what is bigger than just
ourselves and our narrow desires.
We should all seethe when we read things
like; “If
the ticket has a woman, a person of color or a Latino, or a female who is also
a person of color, Democratic Party turnout will surge more in really important
places…" This form
of bigotry and discrimination has become acceptable. Yet this should annoy us every bit as much as
blatant racism. It is critical that Americans
come to grips with the fact that this overt ugliness is every bit as bigoted as
the Ku Klux Klan.
Our
support, or the withholding of that support, NEEDS to based on issues and
issues only:
·
End
18 years of war
·
End
callousness toward the deaths of countless young black males
·
Hold
the president accountable for corruption
·
End
the corruption within our political system
·
End
the cold indifference that defines our health care system
·
Alleviate
homelessness and feed our hungry children
·
End
spree shootings and mass killings
·
Tackle
global warming and clean up the air
Unfortunately,
we are living in an America where voters place less and less emphasis on issues. Gun owners only care about their guns. The rich only care about the size of their yacht.
Feminists only care about electing
women.
The
independent voter is what has saved America from political ruin. They still know the difference between right
and wrong and are, for the most part, willing to vote it. Unfortunately, their number is dwindling when
we desperately need that number to be increasing.
If
the issues and proper focus on an agenda is ignored in favor of a woman of
color or any other inconsequential requirement, then little hope will remain
for the America we once were and are capable of being again.
Intellectually
and emotionally, we need to embrace the maturity and wisdom of Heidi Heitkamp and Claire
McCaskill: “We want someone
of very high character…Someone who is competent, strong and authentic and we
don’t care if they are a woman.”
Only
then can we move forward once again in America.
