I am certainly not alone in thinking that the past decade has seen a heightened sense of awareness around whether your fellow Americans are political conservatives or liberals. There are entire “news networks” (it pains me to even call them that, the label alone lends some credence to organizations that I wish had none) dedicated to only one political spin on the news. Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, the list goes on and on of news networks that no longer will report the news at face value, but instead force upon their audiences stories discolored by the generic bias that particular network embodies.In the media you hear about “the liberals” and “the conservatives” as though they were analogous to the Civil War era “North” and “South”. One would be led to believe that these two groups of people are radical political activists who thirst for each other’s blood. The question I pose is: Is the political divide between conservatives and liberals actual or perceived?

The answer (from my personal observation and no other expert opinion at all): it depends on whether or not you strongly identify yourself with one of these two groups. If you strongly associate yourself with either being a liberal or a conservative, then this divide is more than likely very real to you; and you are, in fact, fighting a “politcal war” against the opposing ideology. Should you be an individual that does not necessarily associate yourself with either ideology with any real gusto or spirit, but may share opinions or views similarly to either group, then the divide may not be real to you.For those individuals who do strongly subscribe to one ideology or the other, then the divide is very real and very important.

It is important at all costs to do the following to those people who “belong” to the opposing camp:

  • Tell everyone you know that (insert “Conservatives” or “Liberals” here, depending on which group you DO NOT belong to) are evil and will precipitate the demise of this great nation
  • Use gross generalizations and misperceptions to describe the most basic characteristics of the opposing view while ensuring that they are cast in the least flattering light possible (this is a fine art form only seasoned fanatics can achieve with any cohesion)
  • Never allow yourself to slip and actually research and ponder the opposition’s stance on an issue lest you be led astray from your brainwashing
  • Espouse your unwavering support for all things, places and people that are (insert your affiliation of “Conservative” or “Liberal” here)
  • Never deviate the from the views personified by the label under which you categorize yourself no matter how illogical, impractical or unintelligent those views may be, or else how could you ever obtain any street credit from your peeps?

The divide that exists in the schizo-paranoid minds of political radicals who allow their senses of logic, duty and patriotism to be over ridden by dogmatic views of a political ideology are a cancer to the principles of free will and thought upon which this country was founded. The moment you allow a personified political party to dictate your opinions and actions, you have done your country a great disservice. Perhaps a greater understanding of the opposing view point would, at the very least, promote a deeper knowledge and a more eloquent rebuttal to their positions rather than falling back on name-calling derived from the individual’s perceived political affiliation.

Yes, this was a rant-based blog based on the frustrations of being inundated with Conservative and Liberal bashing alike, by people who seem normal at first glance. One thing is for sure, if you hear (or are) a person who walks around talking about how either Conservatives or Liberals are the problem with this country, or something of the like, you should promptly place a mirror in this person’s face and kindly state, “Actually, what you see here is the problem.” Then smugly walk away, confident in the fact that the less evolved brethren you just had this little chat with will never quite grasp the underlying irony, but will probably ponder it for at least the amount of time they spend at a traffic light.

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