An "Enlightening Election", But Keep Your Perspective

Discussions often end up by calling the other side "Hitler" (Godwin's Law)

Time columnist Joel Stein thinks that the disgust that many feel over the 2016 Presidential campaign is misplaced. Discussions over defense, tax, health care, etc. policies may be calm and rational, but they're also boring. [bold added]

this time we’re addressing core issues that divide us: racism, sexual assault, Islamophobia, immigration, elitism, anti-Semitism, authoritarianism and whether to require drug tests before political debates.

(Okay, the last was an amusing aside.) Joel Stein says that historian Douglas Brinkley agrees with him:

“This has been a hellbroth of stew that’s been tacky and tawdry, but the reason a lot is coming out is because we’ve been avoiding the big conversations,” he said when I called to talk about the election. Now, he said, we’re discussing what our culture should be like, how unfiltered we want to be, if we want to engage other countries and whether our institutions are trustworthy.

Therapists say that airing our differences is healthy, but experience shows that's not always true. Long-time married couples know that it's often better to back down or remain silent than to risk breaking the relationship.

Speak your mind if you must, but do so in a manner that doesn't inflame people who disagree. After Election Day you will have to go back to working with some colleagues who voted for the other person. Your vote really didn't matter, but your job, marriage, and friendships do.