Politically polite?

I've often wondered why actually having an opinion was such a bad thing. I mean, we're all entitled to them, and we all have them. It could be about the lunch you order, the color you paint a room, where you want to go to school and escalate all the way up to fiery political issues that bring people to the picket lines.

I always thought the greatest thing about living in this country was the ability to have an opinion and although it might be the minority one, you were allowed to have it...with whatever ignorance it was that helped you form it. It's a fabulous thing that you can live in the United States and simply be dead wrong on your views. Now, THAT'S FREEDOM.

And it's quite disappointing to me, when a difference of opinion becomes such a heated, emotional experience that all of a sudden, people start yelling, slashing perspectives and throwing dinner plates as they storm out of your house....um...pass the salt? Because let's be honest, very few of us are willing to put our life on the line for an opinion. And if you happen to be one of those folks, well...let me know so I don't invite you to dinner, and if you're not one of those folks, can't you just smile and ask to have the mashed potatoes passed? What ever happened to "I will respectfully disagree" and moving forward?

Back in the day in polite society, the two things that were never discussed socially were politics and religion...might be worth a visit to the library for a good section of us, to revisit etiquette or in the very least, the proper and logical form of debate.


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