The Grossest Generalizations

A headline on a Facebook post caught my eye tonight, and gave me serious pause. It said something like, "Obama refuses to let his faith be tarnished by the broad brush of GOP hate."
Ouch. Don't you think that's a bit of a generalization? Because, honestly, I don't believe all members of the GOP are haters, do you? No more than all democrats are, anyway.
How do I know? Cause I'm a registered Republican, and I really am not an intolerant hater, honest.
The fact is that in our country there are really two political parties you have to choose from if you want your vote to count as anything more than a statement. This may change, but for now, you try to pick which party has the most actions and stated beliefs that match up with your values, cross your fingers, and vote for your candidate.
Sometimes you choose wisely, and sometimes you slap yourself in the forehead a few months into your candidate's term and say, "WHAT was I thinking?"
That's the way it goes.
So I've got to say, I'm pretty much over people who post crap like the above headline. Come on, folks, are you really that much of a black and white thinker? Can't you imagine anyone who disagrees with you NOT being a "hater?"
Bulletin: Most adult Americans are registered in one party or the other -- roughly half and half, I imagine. Is everyone in the party you're not in EVIL?
I didn't think so. So don't buy into the crapola some people are trying to sell you to make you believe they are.
Not even all politicians who aren't in your party are evil. Many of them on both sides are just trying to make this a better country, per their own beliefs.
Don't agree with them? Say so with your vote, not with stupid, dogmatic Facebook posts.
I've never much cared for gross generalizations. Way back in my 20s, when I was married to a doctor, someone introduced me to a friend of his as, "My token doctor's wife friend." He then went on to say, "But she's not like a doctor's wife."
I beg your pardon. Since I was a doctor's wife, I was exactly like a doctor's wife, of my ilk.
Another time I was introduced to someone at a religious function and they felt it necessary to point out that while I was Catholic, I was okay anyway. What? I hadn't realized their brand of Christianity was better somehow than mine.
I can imagine what it must be like to be gay, or black, or foreign, or Muslim, or any other group of people generally -- well -- generalized as being some particular way.
A pain in the butt, is my guess, when it comes to being pigeon-holed by others.
So do me a favor and don't try to define millions of people as being the same just because of some label they wear. Remember, we all wear dozens of labels, and lots of them are probably on your chest as well, even if a few are different.
That suspicious-looking person you're pretty sure is different from you in some scary way, may be your kid's softball coach; your sister's boss; your church choir leader; your mail carrier; your new neighbor; your new doctor; your future organ donor. You just don't know it yet.
And in spite of their differences from you, they may be okay.
So take it easy on the labels, okay?
In general, I'd appreciate it.