Warning! Semi-Political Statements to Follow!

The political realm is something that I generally try to stay out of, but not because I don't have opinions. Any TAC educated, Italian, and female human being has opinions... and stubbornly holds on to some of them. 

Recently, my entire Facebook newsfeed was filled to the gills with political memes, statuses, and articles coming from both sides (I have a great deal of diversity in my Facebook friend pool). I agreed with some of them. Ones like this

  

even made me giggle a little evil giggle. I'm a big enough person to admit that. I was in for a shock though, when something like this popped up.

 

(To be fair, it wasn't exactly this one. I looked for it for the purposes of this post and could not find it... and who knows what sort of targeted ads will start popping up after some of the google searches I did) 

The point is, I've found that I have a double standard. While I found the first one funny, I found the second one immature, sophistical, and downright... mean. Honestly examining the dichotomy of my feelings, I realized that from "the other side", the first one is equally distasteful to others as the second is to me. 

To be clear (and to stay out of trouble), this isn't a real political statement. I'm NOT saying that truth is relative. I'm NOT saying that both sides are right (because something cannot be true and false at the same time in the same respect. First axiom of all philosophy and human thought). 

I AM saying that some of us have missed the boat. Y'know, the one with "Charity" emblazoned on the side. 

Distasteful or offensive humor is nothing new. We all experienced it to some extent in school or in other social settings. One clique of people band together against some other group of people and they all peck at each other in a mean spirited manner. They obviously don't understand where the others are coming from and, what is more hurtful, they obviously haven't tried to understand, or care to understand. Instead, they resort to saying "funny" things to each other about the others... and what is funny to them is a jab in the eye to the others.

This is not how to win the world for Christ. How can it be? Imagine a person of a more liberal political bent, scrolling through his newsfeed. When he sees that first image, what will his reaction be? In all likelihood, one of two things: he will dismiss it as "those crazy conservatives" mouthing off again or take offense and be angry. In any case, I can guarantee that the message will not cause him to change his mind. He will not change his political views, but he will think less of those who think differently than him. It reinforces the wall between us. Positive influence? I think not.

So, in conclusion to this long and unusually serious post, I'd like to ask you all to think twice before you post those funny pictures. Think about who will see them. Think about what it will do. It will not bring anyone closer to truth and it may just make them hold it off at arm's length or kick it over the fence completely.