If we want society to be better than we are the ones who have to make it that way and I am sick and tired of having to defend the worth of humanity and compassion to my family on a holiday that is supposedly all about giving thanks.
With the long weekend and Thanksgiving fast approaching there is one thing on everyone’s mind, free food.
Unfortunately, that food often comes at a cost and that cost is usually spending time with the people who made it.
For some folks this is actually something to look forward to; for others it is synonymous with suffering.
Friends, family and a turkey larger than most two-year olds are some of the staples of this fall season.
Yet when there is a group of people in a room a majority of them are going to have different opinions.
Sometimes very, very, very different opinions.
This is of course dealt with through mature and restrained debates, moderated for accuracy while making sure that all parties have equal opportunity to speak their piece and be heard fairly.
Just kidding!
Of course, it devolves into something just shy of a Jerry Springer episode in which half drunken people try to convince each other of things they read on Facebook before passing out in a stupor from eating too much.
Also for some reason this is all communicated through yelling, because everyone knows that the louder you are, the righter you are!
Lately I have tried to come prepared I load myself up with facts and sources backing up those facts with a variety of respected news sources.
I try to present my arguments in a calm, logical way without getting overly emotionally invested.
Give the facts, don’t accuse, give people time to realize that the worldview they have accepted as being correct might actually be biased or even bigoted.
Hopefully this will allow others to not feel like I am attacking their personal character.
The only thing is, sometimes I kind of am attacking their personal character.
“I don’t know how to explain to you that you should care about other people.”
One headline from an article on a website I don’t even frequent sums up my confusion and often my anger as well.
I really don’t know how to explain to some of my family that they should care, that they should hold themselves to a higher standard of behaviour.
