Attitude

A few weeks ago, we talked about the hatred some Democrats seem to feel for Republicans, or any other form of dissent.

Discussing that can quickly slide into the absurd. But on a more personal level - I've observed that many Democrats are unwilling to tolerate any smidgen of conservative thought anywhere in their lives, including among friends and relationships.

Robert Toth discusses this in today's Journal:

Near the anniversary of Sept. 11, a friend of mine told me the most upsetting thing I'd heard all year--but also the most clarifying.

We were talking politics, or rather we were shouting politics. He was laying into me for getting into bed with racists, murderers and hypocrites, people who had committed the equivalent of Sept. 11 countless times--which is to say, conservatives. Meanwhile, I was telling him through my teeth that Noam Chomsky, the source of my buddy's picturesque worldview, was a shameless liar and distorter.

We kept at for almost an hour. Then, as he got off the phone, out of breath and close to tears, he said it: "I don't know how to be your friend anymore."

I fell into a chair, shaking. For the past 10 years, I thought, I've shared every joke, every secret, every fear, with this guy, and this is how it's going to end? I spent a long time wondering how he could feel that way about me. Then I realized I'd been feeling that way about him, too--him and a good chunk of my closest buddies. He'd articulated a feeling that had been nagging at me ever since I started hearing what my friends thought about the attacks. If I had heard a stranger voice those opinions, I'd dismiss him as a crank, someone as monstrously wrong-headed as Gore Vidal or Michael Moore. So how do I stay friends with people who hold those views? Or, more bluntly: Is politics an important enough issue to kill a friendship?

This troubles me. I've run across it many times.

Most recently - I was on a date with a woman. We'd had a great time, and we were sitting in a coffee shop, talking about this and that. Politics came up. I mentioned that I'm a Republican.

She looked like she'd swallowed a moth ball. After a few moments of phumphering and blustering, she said "...if I'd have known you were a Republican, I'd have never gone out with you". The date ended awkwardly, and I got an email that evening saying that the difference in politics would cause a problem, so it'd be best not to talk anymore.

Do Republicans do this? I've never heard of it - but in my dating life (three years, this time around) I've had probably 3-4 women essentially break contact and run when the "R" word came up. I've read the personal ads - and quite a few say "No Republicans", even as the headline; it's the first impression they want to make on anyone who might write them!

So what's with the fear of dissent? I've called it hatred in the past - and we all know hate comes from fear, right?

Anyone have an explanation?

Posted by Mitch at November 26, 2002 01:38 PM