Politics

As I expected, the last post in which I revealed my feelings about President Bush sparked off a comments-section round of sparring between myself and my friend Cheno. That action continued on the phone this morning and was mostly good-natured, as political discussions go. We’ve known each other a long time and we both value our friendship enough not to take a difference of opinion too far. Nevertheless, there seemed to be a fair amount of tension between us, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just me feeling it. We defused it – or attempted to, anyway – by making jokes, largely at each other’s expense, and in the end we never really discussed why we feel the way we feel about the president or the issues that surround him. And that has me wondering: why is it so difficult to talk politics with even our close friends?

For several days now I’ve been wrestling with the question of whether I should mention the book I recently finished here on Simple Tricks. It’s a political book, you see, and my mother always told me that you should never discuss religion or politics in public. That’s good advice, particularly when you live in a place where conformity is valued more than diversity and your personal views tend to run against the grain. I learned early that it’s usually better to keep your mouth shut than to say what’s on your mind and risk alienating your friends. In sum, I’ve been hesitant to mention my latest reading because I haven’t wanted to pick a fight, especially with those friends who I’m certain probably don’t share my opinions on current events.

However, I truly believe that the times are grave enough to justify the risk of a confrontation, and with this election year already heating up and so much felgercarb about the candidates already flying, I’ve decided to go ahead and write about this subject and hope that no one reading this blog will take offense. Instead, I hope my readers (all three of you) will carefully consider the issues that may be raised by what I’m about to say. Hear me out, and if you disagree with me when I’m finished, then we’ll shake hands, thank whichever version of God we worship that we live in America, and remain friends.

No Hard Feelings?

Book Review: The Book on Bush

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