Letter by Denise Caven

Dear Editor:
I openly admit I am the black sheep in my Republican family and that’s alright. We grew up listening to and participating in political discussions at our dinner table. There have been some contentious moments over the years but we love each other and we are family.
In today’s political climate, however, I no longer feel free to discuss politics with my brothers. I have always argued with my brother Frank, and on more than one occasion I have politely pointed out to him he is an idiot, while he is telling me he’s simply trying to educate me in the error of my ways. A couple of years ago I sent Frank a harmless cartoon about President Trump’s hair and I received a very angry e-mail in return. I replied I was sorry and would not bring up the President again. A while ago I became so annoyed with my brother Austin, when I was trying to convince him that Betsy DeVos was a bad choice for Secretary of Education, that I have not discussed politics with him since then. As for friends, I value my friends too much to even think about having a political discussion with them. Something I use to enjoy doing years ago.
So how did we end up here? Has it become so engrained in us to disrespect “the other side” and anything they say that differs from our opinions, that we see it as personal attack?
A simple example of this is, if you are wearing a mask during this pandemic you are a “liberal” or “a sheep following the fake news.” If you don’t wear a mask you are an “American who believes in the Constitution and freedom.” Really? I thought my wearing a mask was showing respect for the people around me and protecting them from the possibility I might expose them to COVID-19.
There was a time in this great country when we would have been encouraged by our leaders to proudly to wear a mask; it would be the American thing to do. Show your creative skills and personalize your mask, but wear it for the good of us all. D-Day was yesterday and I have been thinking about the sacrifices our families made for the good of us all. If asked to, they would have proudly worn their mask to protect their fellow Americans, never once thinking of it as violation of their personal freedom.
So back to my question, how did we get here? This has been happening for some time now, this pulling away from people we ideologically differ with, instead of pulling together to share and expand our ideas.
Thomas Jefferson said, “educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” But I fear we have stopped trying to educate ourselves about the issues our country faces today and the political agendas of the individuals we elect to serve us. We rely instead on limited information and opinions from sources with a bias slant, and whether the individuals speaking are “red” or “blue.”
It is our responsibility to ask questions and demand answers from our elected representatives. We need to make sure the information we receive isn’t slanted or untrue, designed to divide us from each other. We need to make sure we are not confusing opinions with facts.
We will be participating in what may be the most important election in our life time. Shouldn’t that necessitate our taking the time to be sure we have facts to base our decisions on before we cast our vote?