I've been really surprised by the reactions my Facebook page has been getting lately. After all, we're talking about my "friends" here, right? The same people that I share some sort of common ground and history with. A really good friend of mine told me that I seemed angry with my latest posts on the "war on women" and another friend of my mother's in Mexico actually asked her what was up with "socialist views"?
These comments leave me in awe. I love to hear people's honest feedback, but there is no need to get upset with me because I hate FOX news. It is my right to dislike a righteous news broadcaster as much as it is your right to praise it. I'm never going to censor myself just because it makes other people feel uncomfortable. We just need to make sure that there is respect, please.
So, here are a few other real opinions I have that will likely piss people off:
I do believe that Conservatives like to paint Liberals as lazy people intent on taking away their freedoms and money. That's a ridiculous assumption. Being a Liberal is about equality, a concept totally foreign to most conservatives.
Being a Liberal is about making sure everyone gets treated fairly, it's about sharing our good fortune and having people to rely on when our fortunes are bad. Being a Liberal is about helping each other as much as we possibly can–everyday of our lives–not just when a catastrophe strikes.
I strongly support the concept of healthcare and education for everybody as well as unemployment insurance, even though I don't use it myself, since I am a legal worker but not a resident of this country. It enrages me when people claim that it's Ok to condemn others to homelessness and sickness just because it will benefit their tax bracket or seems like "useless government expenditure". To me, that view is just inhumane.
I support religious freedom and I would never force someone to adhere to my beliefs. I don't like people who promote religions to others who are not asking for it. Let people make their own choices, if they need a congregation they will go to you.
I hate racism and I don't only hate it because I'm a minority. I may be a Hispanic but I'm privileged in many ways. Of course I am flawed (I am, after all, human) and I admit that I likely hold on to a couple of prejudices too, I don't let these dictate my actions or those of my offspring. I believe that we're all equals and have the same rights, no matter our background and no matter our skin color. And I do condemn people who persecute minorities while supporting abominable immigration laws.
I support gay rights because I have gay family members and friends and unlike many others living in this world, I'm fully aware that many children will one day grow up to be gay too if they weren't born that way. And I'll continue joining the battle to have a world where my kids can be who they are, without ever being hated by others. No one is God on this earth–no matter what people say when they throw their bibles my way.
I believe in a world where things can turn around again, a world where they may be light at the end of the tunnel, I believe in a world where good will win against bad–so, sue me.
That's why I'm a Liberal and I will always continue to be.
What do you think about the culture wars here in the US?
Image via M.V. Jantzen/flickr
