Born Blue, Raised Red. How I Learned to Think for Myself: A Liberal’s Journey in the Deep South
I was born in New Jersey, and my family moved to Mississippi when I was 9. I’ve spent 30 years debating conservatives on everything from economics and government to civil rights and social justice issues. I’m not woke; I’m awake and mindful. I believe in nuance, context, and rational argument. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, so you may find me occasionally agreeing with conservatives or, at least, an element of their argument. Even in a heated debate, it’s important to acknowledge when your opponent has a valid point to maintain intellectual credibility. Either accept the point and move on or admit it’s factual on the surface but devoid of context. Some people use individual facts out of context to obscure the truth as a whole; I despise that and try never to do so.
I’m a proud gay man. I’ve been truly dirt poor as a child and teenager and became very secure financially as an adult. I’ve been made fun of for everything from being gay, poor, and part Middle Eastern. All those things give me perspective and context, BUT I do not argue based on identity. In any conversation or debate about a topic in the MACRO sense, lived experience can be an element but shouldn’t be the entirety of your position.
I hope you find my commentary insightful or, at a minimum, “fair and balanced.” Wink, wink.
Marc”
