I am sad about the direction of recent posts in talk_politics. Listening to people bash Republicans and Democrats and conservatives and liberals and just generally be nasty and assassinate other people's characters ad infinitum is getting old.

I like to debate and I do learn from others opinions even if I don't agree with them. Too much of what I read is people attempting to one up each other and make someone else look stupid.

After the 2008 US presidential election, I got sick of the You tube videos, slams on people's human errors and the inability of either side to respect, understand or even have a whiff of compassion for the "other side." Someone does not agree with your views? They must be idiots. Someone agrees with your views, great let's make fun of people on the other side and belittle and demean them. Cause it really elevates our intelligence and brings us closer together. That's not the common bond I want with my fellows. The bond of putting other people down to draw us together.

I have friends and family on both sides of the coin. I rarely agree with anyone 100%, but I do listen. I listen most to people who make calm, rational arguments. Least to people who focus on belitting others or slamming the other side as though their side is perfect. Sorry, neither side is 100% right or 100% wrong.

I am learn a lot from people who cite actual sources and try to back up their opinions with factual or at least cited information.

I do not identify with either US political party although I have voted for people in both and supported people in both parties. I have compassion for others but I am a realist. I like to play devils advocate and learn from everyone I can. It's good to question my basic premises about life from time to time. I am not afraid to be wrong. But when I am wrong, I don't need to be beat over the head for it. And when someone disagrees with me I don't need to be personally attacked or shamed.

I am sarcastic and tend towards dry humor. People do funny things and humans can be funny. But I am finding the intense hatred and polarity between people, esp in the US, to be very disturbing. And don't tell me the Republicans started it. Or the Democrats started it. To me that argument and any argument where people lump a bunch of people together under a political party banner and then attribute all people who identify with a party as having the same exact views, the same characteristics, and the same failings is dangerously simplistic. It reminds me of two kids in the back of a car telling mom, "he started it," "no she started it." "He's on my side." "No she is on my side." Maybe I am growing up.

This year I've been really listening to people in my life with viewpoints different from mine. I am listening to people who have very different incomes and different lifestyles yet share some commonalities with me. For example, while I am not a Right to Lifer, I can see their point of view and respect their view without holding the same view. I read both sides reaction to the stimulus plan. Not to berate each side but to learn and understand what people are thinking and feeling. I've been a worker and a boss. I've been a welfare recipient and I've run a small corporation. I've been a lot of things and I do have a knack for seeing both sides of things. For being more comfortable with shades of gray. I don't think that most people want to exploit or hurt others. In many instances, people who hurt or restrict others think they are doing good. (Not always but the majority). People can be selfish, from the welfare mom with 14 kids to the CEO who earns millions on bonuses and runs the company into the ground. No one party, no one ideology is immune to human selfishness and greed, ignorance and wastefulness. There are corrupt communists, socialists, capitalists, etc. I've also met some incredibly people who try to help others and are enormously generous and kind yet make millions or make next to poverty wages. Income level does not dictate integrity.

We all come from very different backgrounds and ideologies. That’s’ great. We have an opportunity to learn from each other and strengthen our own beliefs by blogging about them. But this community can be either an asset to us all or it can disintegrate into a community of ideology bashing and US government focused partisan argument. Don’t we have enough of that in the mainstream media already?

And, if you want to comment on this post, great. I ask you to reply with intelligence, respect and openmindedness. Do what you will, but it’s be great if we could all show each other the best sides of ourselves. Instead of the worst.