The Last Acceptable Prejudice

We know that it is unacceptable to be biased against or prejudiced against or discriminate against blacks, women, Hispanics, any member of the LGBTQ community, Muslims, and so on. Right? Wrong! It is perfectly permissible to mistreat any member of those groups if they are conservatives. In fact, prejudice against conservatives occurs on a daily basis. If you doubt the claim of such bias being acceptable against even members of the favored "victim" classes, consider the following. Pro-life women were discouraged or banned from participating in some of the women's marches. The same for pro-Israel women. Some in the Hollywood crowd had no problem with recently body shaming Sarah Sanders, President Trump's Press Secretary. After all, she is a conservative.

You see, marches such as the women's marches should really be referred to as the progressive/leftist women's marches. Are you a conservative black? Uncle Tom! This prejudice against conservatives is pervasive throughout our society. In fact, many on the Left act as if they have an absolute right to be rude to conservatives, to mock us, to insult us, to ignore us, and to simply stop being friends with us. The mainstream media's editorials mock conservatives all the time. It is nearly impossible to find a network TV show that does not attack or mock conservatives in at least one scene. College campuses? Do I really need to list all the times professors have insulted Republicans and conservatives. Let's not forget Hillary's "basket of deplorables." Democrats are the party of "tolerance?" Please.

On a more personal level, see my summer of 2016 post "A Personal Tale of Intolerance," wherein I describe being verbally assaulted and in fear of being struck by someone who was angry beyond words that I would be voting for Trump. I have had people tell me to my face that they "hate" Republicans, knowing that I am one. I have been mocked, otherwise treated rudely, and lost friends simply because my political beliefs are "unacceptable." Being a conservative makes me a lesser human being in the eyes of the Left. I am a "deplorable."

The Left has so incorporated this disparagement of conservatives into their worldview, that they believe it is, or should be, legal to discriminate against conservatives. Don't believe that either? Recall the various big city mayors across the country, all Democrats, telling Chick fil-A that they were not welcome to do business in their cities, after the owner of the company said he believed in the traditional definition of marriage. These mayors did not believe that the owner had First Amendment rights; they did not believe that he had a right to conduct business. Why? Because he expressed a conservative viewpoint. You want to live in a society where you must pass a political litmus test to get into a college, or get a job, or run a business? What happens when they ask if you are pro-Israel, or Jewish, and if you are, you are rejected. Some of us remember being down that road before.

In California, we already have legal discrimination against Republicans. In the primary elections, all candidates of both parties (multiple parties in California) are listed on a single ballot. The top two vote getters make the general election ballot. In California, the top two are Democrats. Therefore, we have no Republicans holding statewide office. We have an overwhelming Democrat legislature. One party rule. That is what the Left is aiming for on a national level. Welcome back to the USSR.

I have a confession to make. (No, I'm not a Christian.) I made the mistake of thinking that if I engaged with people on the Left, but did so in the manner of the "Happy Warrior," Hubert Humphrey, that I would be well received. I did my best to be polite, not be "in your face," and to stick to facts and logic. I was wrong. I forgot a truism that I have often stated. That is, many on the Left have so internalized their Leftist worldview that it has become a part of their self-identity. Therefore, if you criticize Obama, for example, it is as if you are personally attacking them. No matter how nice you are, they will get mad at you, because it is as if you are attacking them. You may as well be screaming at them. My bad. I forgot.

Therefore, I have decided that I will no longer engage with those on the Left about politics. I'll stick to "my own kind." Is that better for society if we cannot respectfully engage with one another? If the Left stays in their Left-wing bubble, and the Right stays in theirs? Some will say yes, there was less division in society when people discussed neither politics nor religion with one another. Others will say it is not better, that the inability to cross the political divide is a sign that it is the beginning of the end of this great country. That we will ultimately split into two countries. How do you see it?