Sunday, January 30, 2005

old wounds

That "baby with the bathwater" line I used below got me thinking... I know some people,online and in real life, whom I've managed to completely alienate.

It doesn't matter what I say, or what the topic is -- I am no longer a legitimate voice to them.

Why is it that some people can't accept that people are going to disagree, sometimes vehemently, on important topics? Why do these people immediately and irrevocably then brand the people who disagree with them as evil and/or worthless?

It hasn't happened frequently, but the few times it has happened still rankle from time to time. I still read/listen to these people when the opportunity presents itself. I think they occasionally have interesting things to say. I even agree with them sometimes.

I wonder if they would be surprised to know that? I don't count myself as that important; I'm sure they do not care a bit about me, and I'm wondering why I care so much about ancient rejections that I'm writing about them now.

It's just not right, I think. No one is perfect, and if we all agreed about everything, what a boring world this would be. It's a shame that a lot of people can't or won't make the effort to sustain a civil relationship with someone whose opinions conflict with their own. (psssst, Democrats! are you listening?)

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