I honestly don't care about whether or not I "alienate" people on the Right (or the Far Right)...anymore than I care about "alienating" people on the Left. If someone thinks I'm off-base, I'm more than happy to have a civilized discussion with them. What I don't appreciate is people (from ANY side) who try to push me into an ideological box or enforce a specific iteration of a certain label upon me.
My worldview is infused with common sense, egalitarianism, and the desire to see everyone be able to live their lives on their own terms WITHOUT violating that same rights of the people around them.
This often runs counter to the beliefs and narratives of various people on the Right, on the Left, and even in the Center. Just because I consider myself a centrist doesn't mean I kowtow to anything uttered by every other centrist.
If you've looked at some of my other writings and you've noticed positive reactions within those Comments Sections that are coming from right-wing personalities here on Medium -- well, all I can say is that they and I happen to agree on SPECIFIC POINTS, SELECTIVELY, AT THAT POINT IN TIME. It doesn't mean they agree with 100% of what I'm saying in every single one of my articles...because I certainly don't agree with a majority of what's spewed on Fox News.
There's a very fascinating dynamic I've noticed at play, amidst political and philosophical discussions. When any two people who are on polar opposite sides of a given issue happen to agree on a specific point -- those around them (their "peers") will suddenly jump in, accusing them of "giving comfort" to their perceived common enemy.
Similarly, when two people who agree broadly on common goals have differing views on how to define terminology or what "their side's" approach to problem-solving should be -- it can sometimes escalate into full-fledged warfare between those two people with accusations flying about "defensiveness," "tone-policing," or functioning as a "traitor."
Do you agree with the following position of mine? -- that we would all be better served if we talked through these differences, appreciated nuance, and asked thoughtful questions of one another...rather than immediately jumping into a combative stance?
