The Sower Logo

Home Opinion Black or White, Red or Blue, We’re All American Too

Photo courtesy of Reader’s Digest

 

by Angela Bell

 

Last month I was in Washington D.C. for the annual March for Life. Given that it was just a week after the Presidential Inauguration, the political climate was noticeably tense—especially so around Capitol Hill. I expected the dirty looks and snarky remarks from people who disagreed with why we were marching. My red ‘Make America Great Again’ ball cap that I sported around the city did not exactly dissuade those looks and comments. What I did not expect was that I would learn so much from someone who was miles away from me on the political spectrum. But I did.

The morning of the march, our group boarded the city metro. Naturally the metro was packed and I chose to stand in the aisle. I noticed a woman sitting by a window near me glance at my hat. She then looked right at me as she said, “Come sit,” and patted what seemed to be the only empty seat. As I sat down she said, “We probably have very different views on a lot of things, but I just want to talk.” She went on to tell me how she had attended the Women’s March the week prior, but would not be at the March for Life.

Of course, I heard this and immediately thought to myself, “Oh here we go, she’s going to start attacking me for ‘not supporting women’s rights.’” I’ll admit, I was initially nervous because while I’m great at validating my positions to people who already agree with them (aren’t we all?), I didn’t know whether I would be able to refute what she would throw at me. As you would expect, my baseless assumptions of her were completely wrong.

She told me that while yes, she had attended the Women’s March, she was generally against abortion. However, she still had many concerns when it came to banning abortion altogether. This opened up a very productive conversation about possible solutions and alternative options, rather than just yelling about whether abortion is justified or not. As we segued from topic to topic, we allowed each other to speak our pieces, and while we occasionally tried to stump the other, the discussion never turned into an argument. I was genuinely surprised.

Soon enough, the metro arrived at her stop and she thanked me for speaking with her and wished me luck at the march. It was a fairly short encounter, but I have been mulling over it ever since. She had completely destroyed my understanding of how people with different views can work together. The news channels always show liberals and conservatives duking it out, getting nowhere fast. This made me believe that we are essentially living in two different worlds.

But what I learned from my conversation with the woman on the metro is that Republican or Democrat, black or white, liberal or conservative, as Americans, we all have the same end goals. The discrepancies are just in the minutia—the ‘how’s.’

I think every Westernized American can agree that racism is bad. Poverty is bad. Unemployment is bad. Crime is bad. Gender inequality is bad. War is bad. At the end of the day, we are all on the same page. The political spectrum comes into play when we start talking about HOW to go about these issues.

For example, when it comes to poverty, everyone can agree that it is a matter that needs to be addressed. Democrats or liberal leaning thinkers tend to believe that the government can most effectively solve this problem by implementing different welfare programs. Meanwhile, Republicans or conservatives tend to believe that freeing up the market and lessening tax burdens will create more jobs and encourage charity. Both are realistic solutions to achieve the same goal.

In George Washington’s farewell address, he warned citizens of the danger of a partisan political system:

“The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism.”

While he is right in the sense that a two party system can be very divisive (and in today’s political climate, that couldn’t be truer), I would argue that it is necessary. However, it is only beneficial when we cease to see our opposition as the enemy.

Bear with me as I attempt to make the following comparison between politics and sports. Liberals and conservatives are not competing against each other on different teams. Rather, they are teammates competing for the starting job. Each brings a unique set of skills to the table and challenges each other to give 100 percent. They make each other better at practice but at the end of the day, there can only be one starting quarterback. However, if he is not getting the job done, No. 2 can be thrown in at any moment. This ensures that neither player/party can slack off. Ultimately though, when one succeeds, the whole team prospers. Tom Brady gets the same championship ring as the third-string kicker, right? Republican or Democrat, we’re all American. We win as a nation and we lose as a nation.

Don’t get me wrong, I have my strong opinions and I am not likely to be persuaded otherwise. However, I understand the importance of discourse and debate. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and can bring unique perspectives to the table. We should never discredit what someone is saying solely because they vote the Democratic or Republican ticket. Look for the areas where there is agreement and work from there. If we want to make real progress, we can no longer shy away from talking to those on the other side of the aisle. We are fortunate to live in a place where we have the freedom to express our own opinions and ideas. Just remember, we are all playing for the same team.

Please leave a reply. Your comment will be reviewed by the Sower editors before posting.