Americans Are Better Than This
There’s Many Sides To A Great Nation
America is such an amazing mix of cultures and ethnicities. Brush the collective skin tones onto canvas and you may have a brilliant piece of Impressionist art. What about languages? Translator apps will be helpful. There’s at least 350 different languages spoken in homes across the nation. (2009–2013 American Community Survey/U.S. Census Bureau)
Despite such a diverse population, there’s a tendency to divide everything into two sides. Pick any issue. You must get on one side of a stripe or the other. Standing on top of the line is forbidden, nor can you straddle it. Choose a side, pick a weapon, dig your heels in and get ready for war.
It feels like America is stuck in an old Western movie. On one side is Sheriff Wyatt Earp and his good guy family. They ride into Dodge City, prepared to give their lives defending the virtues of the Old West. Following them is the evil Clanton gang, with many more men and bullets. They‘re prepared to empty their guns into the Earps and the entire town. The law is good and the Clantons are bad. There ain’t no middle.
Good old-fashioned win-win outcomes are quite rare. There’s one winner and one loser. It’s winner take all in this modern scenario. Both sides hate each other and want to banish their opponent into oblivion. Compromise is a relic of history, while domination tactic reigns.
Have you attempted to enter a debate on social media recently? I try to stay clear but sometimes can’t help myself. I’ll see a post that could use an alternative viewpoint. Then I dive in with innocuous comments. I’ve regretted every intervention, as I’ve dodged some choice name-calling and received enough exclamation points to last a lifetime.
Last week I participated in more civilised pursuits at my local Tennis Center. Four players and some riveting doubles over two hours. Between us, we speak 5 different languages. We changed partners after completing each set. There was some strong play and not-so strong play. There was a wide variety of shots and great efforts from all. Everyone had an excellent workout.
Tennis courts have two sides, but everyone got to see the game from several different angles. We strongly debated close line calls, but avoided confrontation. After the final point, everyone met at the net for a social-distanced hand wave. It was a day of good sports and a very worthwhile social outing. Everyone won and there was no losers. This is what we want for America.
