Dogmatism, sadly, does not discriminate

I think of conservatives as being dogmatic. I'm liberal. I think of myself and others as being fluid thinkers, seeing through the eyes of nuance. But that's not always the case.I see the effects of Trumpism as being manifold and deleterious to our political system, as do most in the peanut gallery. But I see a more subtle yet profound effect on our society and the way we speak to and treat each other. Basically, we're starting to act like Trump, since he is the dominant figure in our nation and has been so for the last 10 years.So it's from that vantage point that I see some of my liberal friends being dogmatic, unyielding and viewing issues as black and white when they are not. I see people vilifying certain groups via over-generalization.I see my friends dehumanizing those with whom they disagree. And it's easier to dehumanize a billionaire because it's punching up. But it's still punching and it's still not clear thinking to lump all billionaires together.And to be fair, I'm sure that there are and have been, historically, non-dogmatic republicans, conservatives. Senator McCain might have been a good example. Teddy Roosevelt another. But I am not over-generalizing with the intent to lump all conservatives together, but to speak of tendencies. And on the level of tendency, I do think conservatives do this more. But especially when those behaviors are being constantly modeled and affirmed in the form of politicians who are more like shock jocks than public servants.So it's only natural: monkey see, monkey do. And all us monkeys have been watching the big orange orangutan behave badly and think poorly for a decade. We are bound to be acting like him in overt and covert ways. Especially when we get attention for it.So some amount of liberals are bound to unwittingly start to think in distorted terms. And perhaps, at its extremes, liberalism can be dogmatic as well. I certainly don't want to have a communist dogma ruling over me.But politics isn't static. Perhaps, with the rightward trend of our politics since 1968, liberals have really meant centrists, pragmatists. Maybe from a different vantage point, I'm only a consensus builder with the heart of a liberal. Maybe I see the New Deal legislation as respite from mergers, and the Dobbs Decision and Citizens United.But enough of that tangent. When I see my liberal friends espouse dogmatic views on sports, billionaires, real estate, and politics, I'm disappointed. I want them to see nuance, context and subtle gradations. I want them to see how they're falling into the traps that have ensnared so many conservatives, with horrible consequences for them and the rest of us.I want them to see how this dehumanization is a reaction to being dehumanized themselves. And how 2 wrongs don't make a right. I want them to see their distortions and course-correct. I want them to stop the wheel of alienation from steamrolling another generation.I want them to adopt a sense of a beginner's mind and to doubt all their suppositions, if only to recalibrate their thinking apparatuses.Humility is the grounding we all need in order to do the delicate work of creating a society that works for more and more of us.And it's so easy to pick on the rich. To pick on those who have more when we struggle. And I'm struggling financially so I get it. It's also easy when we are in a second gilded age where power and money are once again in the hands of the few. In that setting, one can easily operate from outrage and view all rich people as thieves and all billionaires as hoarders.But that's essentialism. That's the idea at the heart of racism, sexism, homophobia and on and on. It's dehumanization parading as a philosophical stance. It is the rationale behind ethnic cleansing and Jim Crow and gas chambers. It is the same thing.I want my friends to see this before they become the enemy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greenmang.substack.com/subscribe