The seed for a conversation found its fertile ground after a few of us read a diary that included an elegant statement of the problem.
"When I feel that I have to walk on eggshells in a diary it is a sign something is wrong. Sometimes one has to say exactly how one feels and it is also sometimes necessary for those hearing these sentiments just to listen for a while and take note." - LaFeminista That quote from LaFeminista inspired my music-video diary, Relax, I need some information please, which invited people to pause and notice how we all are feeling. Many came and bravely posted and voted in the poll. One of the more puzzling attitudes in the diary, and found elsewhere at Daily Kos is the many "us vs them" dichotomies. I find it especially puzzling among political allies. It may sound strange and some may think I'm clueless to say that. [And they're entitled to their judgments, based upon their own relative cluelessness. I've been aware of the arbitrariness of us vs them almost my whole life because I was lucky enough to have parents who taught me to question it].Except for the sports world, I just don't see people in such stark binary terms. I think it's learned and reinforced in American culture. But I don't see why it should be inevitable. I just wasn't raised to see people that way, so it's puzzling why some people think it's inevitable to do that.
Perhaps we could continue the conversation and reflect on this. The music soothes and suits my pensive mood.
Pink Floyd - "Us And Them LINK to Music Video - Pink Floyd Us and ThemPink Floyd "Us And Them" from 1973 album "The Dark Side Of The Moon"
There's more below the fold.