I have said “Can’t we all just get along??!?!” many times and not as a joke. I don’t know why people have to get so up in arms over their position on, well, just about anything, that they cannot have a calm, reasonable discussion with other adults about them.
Granted, I have been known to get a little overheated on NFL topics and teams. Trust me- you do NOT want to get me started on either of two most passionate football rants of the moment “Why Brett Favre Needs to Retire for Good” and “Why the Patriots are the Evil Empire”. Once I get on either of those topics you might as well sit back and accept the fact that the next 15 minutes of your life belong to me unless you set yourself (or me) on fire. And you probably don’t want to hear my dissertation about why Bon Jovi belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame either.
But when it comes to the serious topics – health care, the economy, gay marriage- I can discuss them in a much less fiery way. I guess I learned from my dad. He has absolute conviction in his beliefs and no one is going to change his mind. But he does not yell, pound things or otherwise get riled up very often. It’s just not his style. And that’s earned him the respect of most people who know him- regardless of where on the political spectrum they lie. And it’s how I wish everyone could approach these sensitive topics- especially with elections right around the corner. But I’m not hold out a lot of hope.