...most likely they don't. Hate you, that is.
I mean... they could. Maybe you're an asshole. Maybe you let your dog defecate on their lawn and there are little yellow dead spots all over the place and their kids step in it and drag it in the house and the car, and nearly everywhere they go it smells like dog shit - then they might.
But more likely than not, if you don't do the above - or any other number of asshole-ish things - they don't.
How do I know? Well, in truth, I guess I don't. I'm just guessing.
However, I think it's an educated guess. I base my assumption on several factors, not the least of which is my daily experience as a construction worker. I meet a lot of different people in my line of work; characters of all different convictions, creeds, and colors. And in my 20+ years in this industry I have met very few who, once you get to know them, despite our disparity of background or beliefs, display the disdain for the different one might expect if they bought the lie the media is spoon-feeding us regularly.
I considered giving some examples here… but is that even necessary? I mean, honestly – open up your favorite social media platform and just scroll down for a minute. Wherever your personal convictions lie, take notice of the articles/memes/headlines denigrating the “other side.” They’re not hard to find. We are inundated with the shit. Spend enough time reading the clickbait headlines, and you’ll find everything on the spectrum from “those who believe (x) are idiots” to “those who believe (x) deserve to die.”
Such an onslaught of hatefulness inevitably begins to take its toll. View such content day after day after day… and eventually you’ll begin to believe it.
But do you really?
Do you really believe that the fellow human being sitting at the red light next to you… who, like you, has hopes and dreams for the future… who, like you, has struggles that at times seem insurmountable… who, like you, only wants the best for their loved ones…
Do you really believe they hate you? or you should hate them because of your ideological/political differences?
…especially considering that the similarities far outweigh them?
I don’t. I don’t buy it.
I don't care what kind of the-spoon-is-an-airplane-open-up-the-hanger games the media plays... I ain't taking the bite.
My suggestion is you shouldn’t either.
My suggestion is to take a little time to actually talk to someone who differs from you ideologically - one on one, face to face. Spend some time honestly getting to know them and why they feel the way they do. If you do – and here comes another assumption – I’m going to guess you’ll find you don’t really hate them… and neither do they, you.
Hell... you might even find you (perish the thought!) like each other. Wouldn't that be horrible?
Here's a story for you, I've lived in my home over 15 years. We have an older couple for neighbors, open back yards, no fences. The lady is an animal lover, very sweet. Her husband, not so much. We had a couple of stray cats show up, she starts feeding them. We bought a new car, a mustang, I get up one morning, and there are paw prints and smudges all over my car, I was pissed. I took a deep breath, and asked her nicely to quit feeding them so that they would move on, they were eating the birds, the squirrels, they were becoming a real nusance... and my neighbor would bitch about the cats eating the birds and was a witness, along with myself, to one of the cats carrying an adorable little yelping baby squirrel in it's mouth, about to eat it, and she still kept feeding them. That was the last straw for me, her husband didn't know about all of this, but after that cat ate that baby squirrel, he did. It wasn't the cats fault, animals are animals with animalistic instincts...as soon as my neighbor quit feeding the cats, it didn't take them long to move on. The birds are back, the squirrels are back, and my car only has pollen on it, not paw prints. I see my neighbor now, and it's very awkward. Do I hate her? No, she's not to fond of me anymore. And the day I let my dog climb all over her car, and eat all the baby wildlife in the area, then I'll be ok with her feeding the stray cats.
We were close at one time, and I try to talk to her, but she's old and she's ornery, she'd definitely be a cat lady if her husband wasn't around lol
Respect the boundaries people!! Hahaha
Hahaha @monchhichi23 I'd be pissed if I had paw prints on my mustang too!
Girl, it was bad, and I let it go on a while, hoping the problem would fix itself, but nope.
...and there's a good reason to be pissed! No one could blame you on that one.
As you mentioned though, you don't necessarily "hate" her. And as I'm sure is evident, my intentions in the post were focused more on the political/ideological divide which, if you believe the news, is at a fevered pitch present.
Oh man, I can't stand the news, and the shit they spew...and yet.. I. Can't. Turn. Away... lol. We sit here, and have quite the viewing party watching the craziness that unfolds. What ever happened to the days when news was just.... well, news!! They're just throwing shit out there to see what sticks. I've always said you have to exercise your own due diligence to know the truth. In other words, don't be sheep!
Agreed... and help a newbie Steemit-er out here. Is an "upvote" considered similar to a "like" on FB. I mean, is it an appropriate way to recognize someone's comment without actually responding?
Sometimes I'll up vote a comment just to show I've read it, even if I have nothing to add. Generally I'll also up vote meaningful comments on a post as well. As a newb, don't bother with that so much as building your rep, finding people you enjoy, and getting your steem power up to 500. Once you're there you'll be able to split votes so that you can spread them better.
There's so much to learn about upvoting and your voting power, I will sometimes upvote someone's post without commenting. And I always upvote someone's first comment on my post. There's a science to upvoting that I still haven't figured out completely but here's a pretty good article that I've read that explains it better than I can
Right on. Thanks.
I think you're right - most people don't have the energy to just hate you because you believe something different. Unless there's been an event that causes it, most of the time people just want to be able to do their own thing. :)
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