Dittohead Diplomacy

Tonight, I would like to direct my attention to all you Conservatives out there. I would like to introduce you to two brothers: Fred and George. Yes, I am copying J.K. Rowling, but this is only for the purpose of protecting the identity of my American friends. Please understand that they are only names I have chosen to copy; I am not attacking or even describing the Weasley Family (fictional though they may be, I know there are many out there who are very passionate about them) in any way, shape, or form. Well, I guess there is one exception. In honor of Fred Weasley, who recently gave his life in the Battle of Hogwarts, I will use him as the model we should all follow.
Fred and George both grew up (not playing Quidditch in their English backyard) but listening to Rush Limbaugh while riding in the car with their parents in Utah. Fred and George both liked him equally, but they let him influence them in different ways. George loved Limbaugh, and believed very strongly in Conservative principles; he would do anything to defend his country. He was an inspiration to all who knew him. The problem, however, was that George tried too hard to follow Rush Limbaugh’s example in how he debated with both his liberal acquintainces as well as anyone who disagreed with him even a little. While he inspired many with his love of America, he frequently offended others with his passionate and undiplomatic tone. His friends who only disagreed with him on one or two issues were frustrated with George. In their minds, he was the stereotypical model of the Extreme Right-Wing American: someone who loves America, but is too passionately patriotic for their own good.
Fred, on the other hand, knew how to be friends with those who held differing viewpoints while still keeping his political and moral principles. When Fred graduated from college, he got a good job as an engineer. He was a busy man, but still managed to make time for politics; he was very politically active, and he loved listening to Rush Limbaugh on his way to and from work. One day, while talking with some friends, the subject of daycare came up. One of Fred’s female friends, frustrated by the prospect of finding a good day care center for her small children, expressed her wish that the law require businesses to provide daycare for their employees. Fred, very casually, pointed out the fallacies in that solution. One of them, for example, was the high cost to businesses of providing such a facility. At the end of their discussion, this friend was much more aware and even somewhat persuaded by Fred’s ideas. This woman was lucky that George was not in the room; he might have humiliated her and her naïve ideas.
Anyway, you get the idea. Again, please understand that I am a conservative, and that I am just as frustrated by what is happening to this country right now as anyone else on the Right. However, my friends on the Right who do not know how to have a conversation with anyone who disagrees with them just a little also equally frustrate me. Diplomacy does not necessarily equal compromise. I understand the frustration of the Conservatives in this country at the current administration. Nevertheless, if you want to do something about it, learn how to have a conversation with people who disagree with you. I have always been, and still am, a major supporter of Rush Limbaugh and Conservative Talk Radio. Without Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, and others, I do not know how any average American would be able to sift through the liberally biased news sources of ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and others to find the truth. But I recently discovered that I, personally, was a lot like George. I only listened to Rush Limbaugh, and I only recycled his opinions while debating with others. It was getting in the way of effectively arguing and persuading others to my way of thinking, not to mention developing my own opinions. There’s nothing wrong with being a dittohead; I don’t apologize for it, and I don’t expect anyone else to either. However, it is counterproductive if it gets in the way of diplomacy. Contrary to popular perception, you can and should be a dittohead and a diplomat at the same time.