Somewhere out there is a person. She is black, a senior citizen, and a passionate supporter of Bernie Sanders.
Somewhere out there is a person. He is white, a freshman in college, and works together with his girlfriend to make calls for Hillary Clinton.
Somewhere out there is a person. She is Hispanic. She plans on voting for Donald Trump.
The polls tell us that these people are in the minority. My first example would not fit in to the “average” young white male Bernie supporter. The second example certainly doesn’t identify as a middle aged white woman. The last? You might be tempted to question her intelligence, but I would like to suggest that we refrain from doing so. I’m pretty sure all of these people exist, and there are reasons behind their convictions. You are almost certainly one of them in your own way.
Polls and averages and demographics are great tools for making predictions about who may win what state. They are poor tools for engaging in public discourse. What should we expect when we begin a conversation by discounting the other person’s starting position? By only talking about the averages supporter of candidate A?
Now, if we would each like to retreat to our own echo chambers and disengage, fine. That is definitely me sometimes, especially if I’ve had an intense day. However, occasionally I do want to have an exchange of ideas with someone who holds a different perspective. I’d like to have more of an opportunity to do that in an environment where no one is pigeon-holed, where no one is accused of being uninformed, and we are respected as individuals. I would also argue that such conversations are critical for our democracy.
This goes for our representatives as much as it goes for us as individuals. Getting a progressive majority in the House and Senate is a worthy goal — one we need to keep striving for. However, until we make it there this country must be governed with the people that currently hold office. This means a snarly mass of representatives who disagree on a variety of topics. There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of finding a narrow path of agreement when every conversation begins with marginalization.
Now I have no magic wand to wave which will force everyone to hold hands, nor do I want them to. But, I think we can start by considering the ways in which each of us is a unicorn. Maybe you identify with one of the example people I outlined above.
I live in a rural area. I live in a conservative region within my blue state. I drive by a “Hillary for Prison” sign in someone’s yard whenever I go visit my best friend. Guns are rather popular in my neighborhood. It is not uncommon to hear some target practice taking place on a Saturday afternoon. My district has elected a Republican for Congress, but I am a Democrat.
Here is another example… Seven years ago I was a public school employee of 6 years, pregnant with our first child. If you had told me, a firm believer in the social good that comes from a common education, that my husband and I would choose to homeschool our daughter I would have thought you were nuts. Homeschooling is for conservative creationists! If all I knew about someone is that they homeschooled their children, I might make some assumptions... Not any more. We have indeed chosen to homeschool and for reasons that have nothing to do with conservatism or disrespect for the public school system that I hope to work for until I retire.
So, it is time to put the YOU in Unicorn. Do you get painted with a broad brush? In what ways have interacting with others changed your perspective when it comes to certain groups of people?