Don’t you dare stand in the middle of the road!

Liberals think problems are solved by government fixing the system.

Conservatives think problems are solved by individuals fixing themselves.

Of course, it’s not that simple. But listen to what people in both camps do not say.

Liberals rarely hold individuals responsible for how their lives are turning out. The last thing a real liberal would dare suggest is that a Black person, or a female person, or any other “category” of person had made a bad choice or chosen a wrong path. To suggest such is to call their own liberal creds into question, to risk the wrath of the left.

Conservatives, on the other hand, rarely hold that “the system” plays a role in how individuals’ lives turn out. The last thing a real conservative would dare suggest is that unregulated capitalism, or systemic racism, or any other “ism” was a factor in the lives of people who suffer or hurt or just don’t make it. To suggest such is to call their own conservative creds into question, to risk the wrath of the right.

Think it’s not that simple?

Try stepping outside your political box to suggest the other side may have a valid point or two. Or even just that some middle-of-the-road, more moderate or centrist, articulation of a problem might be the best way to begin addressing it. Try it, and then be prepared to take heat from outraged partisans from the right and the left. Be prepared to be shot down before you even start.

No wonder we cannot get along, much less craft solutions to what ails us and our beloved nation.