I’ve seen a lot of posts on social media about how folks decided to boycott the presidential address on Tuesday night. I posted my clear distaste for Donald Trump on my Instagram stories, by posting a selfie of myself making a funny face, followed by a shot of the television with an “x” through it. I received an overwhelming amount of responses from followers, most of which said that they couldn’t watch it, that it was too upsetting to watch, that they couldn’t stand to see his face/hear his voice, etc etc. Here’s my general response.
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SHOP THIS OUTFIT
H&M SKIRT | BODYSUIT c/o | SNEAKERS | BELT (option) | BERET (comes in so many colors!)
SHOP THIS OUTFIT
H&M SKIRT | BODYSUIT c/o | SNEAKERS | BELT (option) | BERET (comes in so many colors!)
My Thoughts On Being Truly Informed
I believe that in order to be truly and fully informed about a situation, you need to open your eyes and ears to both sides of an argument. One of the main problems that the US faces is that we are truly scared to even listen to a viewpoint other than our own. The conservatives watch Fox news, the liberals watch CNN, and no one will ever budge across the line. Of course, if you only watch CNN, then you’re only exposing yourself to one point of view. If you only engage with Facebook posts that are liberal, then liberal posts are all you will see. We quickly become so reinforced and shrouded by our own views that we no longer even see what’s going on elsewhere.
Truthfully, I’m not perfect. It is so much more comfortable to read the news outlets that resonate with my own beliefs. I can nod and commiserate and feel happy that others have the same ideology. Its so easy.
You know what’s hard? Diving into an opinion or a viewpoint that isn’t your own. It feels icky, uncomfortable; almost like you’re betraying someone. But it’s how we grow. Back in 2016 when we were living in DC, I attended the women’s march. It felt so invigorating to be surrounded by like-minded souls. Instead of leaving it at that, we went to the presidential inauguration parade the next day. I needed to see what it was all about. I wanted to see the faces and families of those who supported this man, and to maybe possibly catch some mumblings on their viewpoints. And guess what? I’m still alive, and my ideology hasn’t changed.
In law school, we learned that knowing your opponent’s argument and view point is an essential skill. When I was on the moot court team, we had to argue BOTH sides of the argument, depending on a coin flip at competition. Until you know every argument backwards and forwards, then you truly cannot understand an argument. One view point is typically more fun to argue because it aligns with your actual feelings and beliefs, but in a court of law that gets you essentially no where. Your case and client will crash and burn because your knowledge is incomplete. It isn’t until we know the other side’s argument that we can start to poke holes in it.
The only way we can learn and grow is to expose ourselves to opinions we find unpopular. That includes presidential addresses from those we don’t view to be so presidential. You can drink champagne all day, but sometimes you have to suck it up for the sake of being an informed individual and have a sip of beer. It won’t kill you – in fact, it will make you that much stronger.
Hope you have a fabulous weekend! Don’t forget to subscribe to the weekly newsletter to see an inside peek at my camera roll – with pics I don’t share on the blog or Instagram. Reserved just for you!
–Roxanne
You put things into perspective here dear. Indeed, there’s always two sides of a coin. Anyway, loving this cool and chic street look on you dear.
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Thank you, Jessica.
I agree that it’s important to listen to both sides, but mannnn he makes it hard to listen to him lol
Kudos for a very brave post and taking a stand while recognizing that we have to be open to the other side’s views, too! You made a lot of good points!
Great post and perspective… it’s such a hard thing to do, but so very worth striving for when you have the mental/emotional energy to do it. 🙂
Roxanne, I totally agree with everything you are saying! While I am not a fan of the current admin, I am also not willing to bury my head in the sand or write off friends and family who may have voted that way (yes, Canada is very invested in your politics because it affects us greatly which is a whole other ball of wax for another time).
Long story that I’ll try to keep short – We took the kids to Elvis’s Graceland some 15 years ago. I didn’t know a lot about him other than his songs (we were in Memphis and just figured this is the place you have to visit when in town) They talked about how Elvis always refused to say who he supported and voted for because he felt that politics was a very personal thing and shouldn’t really be discussed. He also felt that given his status, he would never want to influence anyone. I’ve always thought that was really wise and I took it to heart.
While this current admin has made it damn near impossible to not talk about (or get upset) about what’s going on, I do think people need to take a step back and breathe. I’ve seen people screaming at the top of their lungs like lunatics and when I finally get them to calm down, I’ve asked “How does this REALLY affect your daily life?” The answer is usually not much at all.
I think everyone needs to calm down, take a deep breath, and try to understand their fellow man. And then maybe do something other than sit and argue about politics all day long. Save that for the times when it REALLY matters.
And just so we’re clear, I’m with her, I’ll always be with her and I can’t wait until someone else comes in and calms everything down.
xx, Rox-Anne
I just read a quote something like we feel better with those that think like us but we grow with those that don’t.
Very true….
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com