Thread by @MelissaAmour72

Gotta rant...

It’s tough being in the middle. You understand (or make an effort to understand) where various people are coming from, and you respect most views, even if you don’t fully agree w/them. You want unity, you want comity. Or at least more unity and comity than not. 1/

But then you have these two sides. One that’s nativist, often racist and every other kind of -ist, crude, and that somehow believes concurrently that America does no wrong but needs to go back to some “great” time that mostly lives in their imagination. 2/

And one that’s very global, ultra-woke, not particularly patriotic, and that believes America was fundamentally corrupt from its very origins and, as such, is nothing but oppressive, greedy, imperialistic & too privileged to deserve an ounce of sympathy or understanding. Ever. 3/

These sides loudly battle it out, using the very same tactics, and driving a political pendulum that causes the other side to double down even more and become more extreme. They both think they’re right and that history is on their side. 4/
(Be back soon - taking a dinner break!)

I contend that there is a third America where most of us live. We love America, its history, and its values. We also realize it is imperfect and requires us to always work toward liberty and justice. We’re not naive, but we see the arc of history bending toward goodness. 5/

I’m not sorry for seeing America this way. I’ll listen to you & do my best to understand your view. But I don’t believe in burning it all down for some regressive paradise that never really existed or some utopian dream that isn’t practical and runs counter to our traditions. 6/

And I’ll keep trying in my own little way to help the two sides understand each other and us. No one is beyond redemption. Everyone can learn, grow & evolve. Indeed, we all should. I know I have in the past, and I have plenty more to do. So that’s it. Thanks for listening.😊 7/7