No Middle Ground To Be Found

We live in an environment that has become increasingly black and white. While “moderation in all things” still rings true with the majority of America, we typically are referring to a type of moderation that abstains from the extremes but doesn’t cross sides. Lines are drawn everyday in America. The lines shift as culture progresses, but the teams remain distinctly separate. Our political atmosphere, in particular, bears this flaw. Instead of black and white, our country is red and blue (although this is, admittedly, not a new feature). By the nature of politics, and perhaps more generally by human nature, we tend to bifurcate on just about any issue. This is certainly not a bad thing. It’s the inherent quality of life that ultimately leads to progress. The problem, the fundamentally digressive quality that has accompanied our differences, is that in choosing sides we make it a requirement that each side must differ on every issue. You want to tax the wealthy? Well I want to tax the poor. You want healthcare to be optional? Well I want it to be a mandate. You like red apples? Well, clearly, anything but green apples is simply un-American. Whoa! Hold on a second. That’s a little extreme, right? When I look at our current political atmosphere, the fervent partisanship that is present in the majority of the country, and the undeniable inclination we possess to arrive at different conclusions than our enemies, I often wonder if arguing about fruits is really all that far fetched. I wonder, is there really always an inherent disagreement on every single issue or do we simply do it out of tradition? I think the flaws of the latter explanation are fairly evident. I also think they are undeniably at the core of this country. And yet, I cannot conceive of a politician truly fighting this and ever being elected to public office. Now there’s a change we really need.