Something We Can All Agree On

It hasn’t taken me long to discover that we are still at each other’s throats. Despite all of the positive vibes I was sending out into the world while in Maine, America is still a nation at war with itself. I don’t even have to watch the news or read a newspaper. All I have to do is flip through my Facebook feed to see the hostility. We seem to be bitterly divided about...everything.

We can’t agree that wearing a mask in the middle of a pandemic might be a smart thing. Hell, we can’t even agree that COVID-19 is a pandemic. 

We remain stubbornly opposed on the subject of how or even if schools should reopen this fall. In this argument, many teachers find themselves disagreeing with parents, administrators and various elected officials.

The removal of Confederate statues and other symbols of racism throughout the country has done very little to assuage the appetite for protest in many American cities. Portland, Oregon seems intent on reinventing agitprop, creating all new ways to raise hell. Even here we are divided, some viewing these protests as blatant Marxist agitation, others convinced that the federal response is proof that Trump is at heart a Fascist.

Policemen have been cast as the enemy of the people by many, a tool of the establishment whose only real job is to protect property, this despite the gazillion dollars spent each year investigating murder and assault by police departments all over the country. Others view them as an unfairly besieged thin blue line of noble public servants who do ridiculously dangerous work for low pay only to be spit upon by rabble rousing malcontents. Many people view police tactics as severely flawed, far too violent and confrontational. Others believe that overly restrictive rules of engagement make it virtually impossible for them to do their jobs.

No matter what side people find themselves on in these fierce debates, we all seem to agree on one thing...it’s the government’s job to fix it. Those on the right want the government to crack down hard on rioters, and force schools to reopen despite health concerns. Those on the left demand the government continue handing out checks for every conceivable inequality that exists. 

So, maybe we have stumbled upon an area of agreement at long last....we all want the government to save us from...them.