Why moderates hate what’s happening to America

There’s been a lot of talk over the past couple of decades about moderates and their place in the American social and political fabric.

But just what is a moderate, anyway?

To me, a moderate isn’t someone who comes squarely down in the middle on every topic, or even someone who is liberal about half the time and conservative the other half. It’s someone who can see both sides of most issues and reach his or her own conclusions based on a rational process, not on what partisans or pundits happen to be saying.

This kind of moderate can understand, for example, why it’s important to encourage personal responsibility, while at the same time preserving a safety net.

Why armed conflict may be necessary at times, but not desirable.

Why guns don’t kill people, but they make it a lot easier for people to do so.

Why “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” are both kind wishes.

Or, in the current situation, why it’s important to reopen the economy up as soon as possible, while at the same time using extreme caution to avoid spreading COVID-19.

Revelation

Like almost everyone else, I’ve been itching to get out of the house during this pandemic. Before it started, I had a daily ritual of going to the local park and shooting hoops. I’d arrive early, before anyone else was up, so I could have the court to myself.

Then COVID-19 hit, and stay-at-home orders were issued. But this week (May 18), I drove by and noticed some people were at the park, so I decided to check the city website: Sure enough, the park was open!

Excited, I put on my warmup pants and tennis shoes and headed out. I parked, got out of the car, pumped my ball up, and dribbled over to the court. I ran to the free-throw line, spun around and went up for a jump shot.

But the rim was gone.

I looked to the other end of the court. That rim was gone, too.

I called the parks and rec department to see what was up. All they could tell me was that they’d taken the rims down after getting complaints that people were using the courts — complaints from people worried about social distancing.

I could see both sides of this issue even better than most. On the one hand, I play basketball to stay in shape. As a diabetic, it’s an important physical activity, and one of the few forms of exercise that actually motivates me. On the other hand, I’m prone to bronchial infections, so I’m in a high-risk group if I contract coronavirus.

Outdoor environments are actually safer, one study found. Even so, if I’d gotten out to the court and found others there, I would have left. But now, I didn’t have that choice.

No middle ground

That’s where most moderates find themselves in today’s America: without a middle ground and, more importantly, without permission to weigh the pros and cons.

On the one side, you have people who refuse to behave responsibly. There are “macho” yahoos going around without masks — not because they’re worried about their jobs or businesses, but simply to prove they’re not scared. (So, why not go swimming with some hungry great whites, play in the NFL without a helmet or walk naked through a patch of poison oak?)

On the other side, you have people who refuse to believe anyone can behave responsibly. So they play Big Brother, imposing all sorts of unnecessary rules in addition to the sensible ones ... which, of course, makes the first group even more intent on violating all of them.

This creates a cycle of escalating rhetoric on both sides, neither of which is the least bit interested in finding any common ground.

This isn’t just true with the coronavirus. It’s happened across the board. And the ironies shouldn’t be missed.

Self-described liberals, who once argued so vehemently for free speech, now insist upon “safe spaces” where someone else’s free speech can’t hurt their feelings.

Meanwhile, many who called themselves “conservative” argued vigorously against budget deficits — then created the biggest deficits in history. The difference? The deficits were created to fund their priorities, so they were suddenly OK. Personal responsibility, anyone?

The herd

Herd mentality has kicked in on both sides. If you ask questions, you’re a threat. If you even think about seeing the other side of an issue, you’re weak or even a traitor. This isn’t just true for Republicans, where loyalty to Trump is explicitly demanded, but also for Democrats, where it’s simply expected.

Or else.

Heaven forbid we consider people as individuals and assess each situation on its own merits. We must, instead, stereotype people and ignore the messy details, the inconvenient truths of why one situation is different from the next. We must close our ears and just conform.

The ramifications on either side if you don’t? Name-calling, shaming and shunning.

You’re not allowed to think for yourself — which is exactly what you’ll need to do if you find yourself in a crisis: You’ll need to think creatively to find a way out. You’ll need to think outside the box, as they say, but that’s difficult when people on both sides are trying to put you in a box. Thinking creatively requires new — and nuanced — perspectives.

That’s something neither side wants. Nuanced perspectives require more than 240 characters, which is enough time to reinforce a message, but not enough time to justify it. Why do you think Trump uses Twitter so much? He doesn’t feel he owes anyone an explanation, and explanations just water down what he wants to convey: What, not why. Do it, and don’t ask questions. That’s where “authority” bleeds over into “authoritarian.”

To moderates, the most cherished freedom isn’t the freedom to have a gun or have an abortion. It’s not the freedom to pray in a public school or marry whomever you choose. It’s the freedom to think for themselves and decide where they stand on these issues, then express those stands without being shamed, shunned or denigrated. It’s the freedom to ask why.

“Why” questions

Here are a couple of more “why” questions.

Why are some of the people who speak out most loudly against bullying among the quickest to start name-calling and other forms of verbal abuse? Why are some who have been marginalized so quick to marginalize others with whom they disagree?

Maybe because daring to think for yourself is too uncomfortable these days. You risk being persecuted, branded as disloyal or at the very least “out of step.” If a skill isn’t valued, you’re likely to stop using it. If people don’t want innovation or creativity, there’s less incentive to provide it.

But those who simply follow the crowd will eventually follow it over a cliff. It’s just a matter of time.

The sad truth is that, in the current environment, those of us who want to think outside the box find ourselves imprisoned in a box built by others — a box they’ll toss over the cliff ahead of them when their time comes to play follow the leader.

Note: Image by DonkeyHotey on Flickr, CC BY 2.0