by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
One thing that I continue to roll around in my head is how we’ve reached a point in American political history when both sides have legitimate reasons to believe what they believe. Or, put another way, each side has an infrastructure built out to allow them to believe what they believe.
This is all happening in the context of the two sides growing more and more radical. Either you’re with one side, or the other. No compromise. And my Traditionalist relatives do have a point — they are, in fact, in a sense being persecuted for just being conservative.
But the context of all of this is so complicate that it’s difficult for me to get much beyond that in my support for them and their agenda. Add to this how I know what no matter what, I’m going to run afoul of the autocrat simply because I’m a loudmouth drunk Internet crank and I’ll rather throw my lot with democracy than fucking fascist American Nazis. (This is the point where my Traditionalists relatives either say “both sides” or do some form of debate nullification.) I’m still of the opinion that some of the stupider elements of the Left will simply burn off one way or another.
Either it burns off because it’s ended one and for all by an American Autocrat via corrupt laws, or it’s burned off as part of a broader civil war. While I’m sure they’ll always be a part of our national discourse to some extent, I don’t see pronouns, trigger warnings and safe spaces being as urgent as they are now forever. (I’m often wrong.)
Anyway, the point is — pick a side. In the near future, a side will be chosen for you, even if you don’t like it. So, I suggest you pick one now and get it over with instead of letting someone else do it to for you.
