There is a lot of political turmoil right now.
The left hates the right, the right hates the left. Vote blue all the way, no
red. Donkeys face off against elephants in political cartoons. Trump is racist,
Biden is communist. Can we just wait a hot minute? I dare say with the
exception the 1% on each side, most people are ambidextrous, purple, giraffes. Yes, I did say 1% and for that I apologize. That means 98% of us are ambidextrous, purple, giraffes to some extent.
We all have the overly liberal cousin on Facebook
that makes you back up slowly from your keyboard after reading her posts. The brother-in-law that gets the death glare
by your sister when he brings up that you voted for re-introducing wolves. Maybe you have even had a major panic attack
Thanksgiving morning when you realize you not only have your super conservative
father-in-law coming over, but also your super liberal friend and her
daughter! These are all true stories. But guess what? I still love my cousin and her cute dimples;
I love my brother-in-law and understand his views on the impact of wolves and
ranchers. Politics DID come up during that
fateful (pre-Covid) Thanksgiving, and guess what? There was a lovely conversation, without
yelling, name calling or hurt feelings.
So, what is a ambidextrous, purple, giraffe? An ambidextrous, purple, giraffe is pro-life
as in against abortion AND against the death penalty. They want to increase taxation including
funding for the military. They want to
lessen government oversight, including whom one can marry. They are against amnesty for undocumented immigrants
and for increased minimum wage. They believe
everyone should wear a mask, get the vaccine, AND open up schools, sports and businesses. They want regulations to reduce green house
gases and privatized health care. They believe
teachers should be well compensated and that we all have the right to bare arms. Save the whales and your i.d., because you
will need it to vote. Feel free to mix and match any of these
statements, to be your own shade of ambidextrous, purple, giraffes. Maybe your purple is bluer or redder, or
maybe you are way out there and some shade of yellow, because there are ways to
think outside the box on many issues, but that is for another post.
As an ambidextrous, purple, giraffe, you need not
be pigeon holed on one side or the other, you still have a choice! Christian? You are allowed to be a
democrat. Black? You are allowed to be a
republican. Live in California? Yep, you
too can be a republican! Live in
Texas? It is ok to be a democrat, although be careful who you tell. Spend your
weekends cleaning the ocean and beaches?
You might be a republican. In
your tree stand the first day of hunting season? You might be a democrat. It is ok!
Your religion, skin color, or place you decide to call home does no get to dictate how you vote.
So, love your elephant neighbor and your donkey boss. When uncomfortable conversations arise, listen
more and talk less, because chances are the answer isn’t blue or red, but some
shade of yellow. Stop arguing and start
brainstorming. Listening to one another
doesn’t hurt you or them and you might both realize you are ambidextrous,
purple, giraffes too.
