| 24 January 2012
Quite frankly I’m disappointed. It’s not that I am surprised, mind you, but disappointed because we should be better. The response to someone making a personal decision politically motivated or not, that you disagree with should not be to immediately invoke Godwin’s Law, or condemn the person as a tyrant, or monster, or some inhuman being simply because they made a choice you don’t agree with. It’s they’re choice. Not yours, not anyone else’s. Their choice and theirs alone.
By all means, you may disagree. You may do so at various volumes, although do realize that louder does not always mean that you are right. It simply means that you can shout well and while that’s a talent, it’s a common one. But remember, just because you would do things differently, that does not make the other person wrong automatically. It makes them different from you and that’s ok. If the decision does not hurt anyone, does not directly impact yourself or your family, and is made by someone you have never met personally, what does it matter what their reasoning is. No one was harmed.
Some condemned the act as an act of cowardice or selfishness. If you truly wish to stand up for what you believe in, GO and confront those you feel to be at fault, they said. This is not the place for such things. No, staying home is a fine way to make a statement, and it’s one that by rights should not ruin your teammate’s day. That would be a selfish act. If you feel that your presence at an event would be inappropriate, and you chose not to go, that is totally your call. And it’s the right call. It’s just not your call.
In truth, it is not the decision I would have made, but I was not the one making the decision. I can’t condemn a man for doing something I disagree with if his actions harm none. I can disagree and move on. I don’t care what the person’s politics are, even if they make that the reason why they did what they did. I don’t have to agree to understand that people have the right to make these decisions, and they shouldn’t have to be compared to Hitler or various hate groups for doing so. There’s a very clear line between not going to something in protest, and actively working to hurt others with your beliefs. It’s time that we all remember that.
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