SWGA Politics

Putting aside differences?

It happens every so often.  Sometimes, it happens more often than others, but it always happens.  Someone will look at a given controversy or situation, and then call for people to put aside their differences and work together to fixing whatever the problem is.  Universally, this is hailed as a good thing.  After all, who’s not in favor of “putting aside differences”?

Well, me for one.

Yeah, it’s not hard to imagine that I’m cool with disagreement, but there’s a reason why.  First, let’s talk about what these calls usually mean.  When people call for “putting aside differences”, they usually don’t mean that they want to find common ground and work things out.  Instead, what they want is for opponents to basically just shut up and go along to get along.

It doesn’t matter what the debate is about, but the more contentious the subject, the more likely this tired old chestnut will be trotted out.  Health care?  Consolidation?  Abortion?  It doesn’t matter what the topic and how you feel about it, it’ll come out by someone and it doesn’t matter what side of the debate the person is on.

We writers are guilty of it too.  Many times, columnists such as myself will trot it out faster than even the politicians.  Why?  Well, because sometimes we’re tired of making friends and family angry.  Other times, we do it because we ran out of things to write on a given topic, and there’s always some topic that you can talk about putting aside differences over.

But, if we put aside differences the way most who call for it want, we would get steamrolled on a myriad of issues.  We might as well tattoo “WELCOME” on our foreheads, because we’re going to get walked on left and right.  Our Founding Fathers hand no intention of us putting aside anything.  Contention was inevitable, and they knew it.  That’s why there are mechanisms in place such as overriding a veto.  They knew we wouldn’t agree, and didn’t want us putting aside differences.

I’ve often said that respectful disagreement is the fuel of our republic, and I really believe that.  Our differences may well cause stagnation in Washington or Atlanta, but is that really a bad thing?  After all, look at what’s come out of both those cities when people put aside their differences?  A stalemate would be preferable to being railroaded.

So, you’re not going to hear me talk about putting aside our differences on many issues.  I may say it’s past time to put away the angry rhetoric, but not the disagreement itself.  We need to disagree.  We need to argue.  We need to be contentious.  It’s our God-given right as Americans to disagree with one another and the government, so let’s do just that.

It’s easy to dish at platitudes and call for “putting aside differences” and talk about how “we’re all in this together”, but who cares?  You think you’re right?  So what, I do too.  Are you going to take a back seat and just go along with me?  No?  Good.

We’re not sheep who are easily to shepherd in a given direction.  Let’s not put aside our differences.  Instead, let’s embrace the differences for what they are.  A sign that we are still, despite some’s best efforts, a free society.