A young blogger known for advocacy of progressive causes in the name of tolerance and empathy recently expressed how angry she gets when she encounters those with different viewpoints on the social issues she cares about. This is a common problem these days. Some people who feel they are fighting intolerance and supporting diversity cannot tolerate those with diverging views. The reaction is highly emotional, even irrational, but very human. It's easy for people on both sides of many issues to see disagreement as evidence of hate and stupidity without the least empathy for their opponents, unable to imagine that it might be possible for an intelligent person to have coherent reasons for disagreeing.

During this election season, may we refrain from hating those who vote for either of the two deplorables seeking to be the next autocrat of the United States. Yes, I recognize that there are  reasons for believing that a vote for Candidate A (not to name names) would be a vote for unbridled greed, for corruption, for expanding the military-industrial complex, for intolerance, and for economic and social disaster. Perhaps Candidate A should be locked up for past crimes and scandals, and certainly kept out of office for crimes likely to be committed and for the utter disrespect of the Constitution. Yes, that candidate would be shame to America and weaken our freedoms. But there are two Candidate A's and plenty of people who recognize enough of the villainy of one that they may wish to vote for Someone Else, and unfortunately may feel they have no choice but to support the other Candidate A in this election that seems to represent the will of the Party and its media organs more than the will of the people. Give them a break. Perhaps they are making a mistake, but when given such terrible choices, who can really whose the right instead of trying to choose the less rotten?
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