Neighbors

Marco Arment blogs about his old neighbors and the divisive nature of our current political environment:

If I learn today that my neighbors have political views that my “side” considers unacceptable and unforgivable, should I be able to have dinner at their house, shovel their snow, or even greet them outside?

Interesting post. We’re supposed to believe that we can be “neighborly” with them.

He mentions he never knew the political affiliation of his neighbors. I’m quite a bit older than him, and I never knew the political affiliation of any of my neighbors either.

The question is why? The answer is simple. Because political affiliation was never my neighbors', friends ‘, parents ‘, or family’s identity.

That isn’t always the case today.

If my neighbor cosplays in Trump/Republican paraphernalia, I’m not going to engage in conversation. If my neighbor has a Trump flag flying on his front porch, I’m not knocking on his door. If my neighbor has a bunch of Trump stickers on his vehicle, I’m not waving as I drive by.

On the other hand, if my neighbor is a good person and neighborly, then I’ll be neighborly in return.

I have friends and family who are conservative. They may even consider themselves Republican. Here’s the difference: it isn’t their entire identity. They also aren’t terribly keen on Trump Republicanism.

They don’t talk about politics 24/7. They have other interests. We have common ground. We may even disagree about a policy or a president, but it won’t devolve into crazy.

I’m incredibly lucky I don’t have neighbors, friends, or family who are part of the Trump cult. I’d bet Mr. Arment is just as blessed.

And that makes all the difference.