Hate and Fear Go Both Ways

You can’t look at a map of the popular vote without noticing one thing: globular clusters of blue votes around urban areas, and expansive red matter throughout the known-to-be rural areas. Why? As Dan Savage put it on his podcast, Savage Love, a few weeks ago:

It’s harder to convince people to hate and fear people they actually know and interact with every day.

Well yes.

However...I can’t help but wonder if that statement goes both ways. Because hate and fear go both ways. Social conservatives are scared of social liberals, and I’d argue all those blue patches are starting to hate and fear the expansive red.

Which makes me think the only thing we all can do, no matter what patriotic color you are, is get closer to that which you don’t know.

It’s not a new idea. In fact, it’s not even my idea. Recently, Tami and I were at book club (is anyone surprised that we’re in a book club?) where we discussed Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy* and this passage rang true enough that Tami and I have been talking about proximity like it’s our new favorite hue:

Proximity has taught me some basic and humbling truths, including this vital lesson: Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.

And I hope we’re more than the most intolerant belief we’ve ever held, or the worst thought we’ve ever had.

One of the reasons I’m out here is because I don’t want to be afraid of people who think differently than me — just like I don’t want them to be afraid of me.

But how do you accept people as they are while not agreeing to tolerate intolerance? 

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*Such a good read.