Tuesday, January 13, 2004
maybe I should think twice...
I attended a lecture yesterday, with some friends of mine, based on the (very enjoyable) Da Vinci Code. The lecture itself was something of a dissapointment, though - as Nancy put it - it was interesting in itself as a phenomenon, purely for the size and diversity of the audience it attracted.
Evenings spent with friends, however, are nothing if not varied things, and the lecture became an adjunct to a very enlightening conversation over a cup of (somewhat questionably titled) tea.
we talked - was it at my insistence? - mostly on politics, which, of course, stands as something of a faux pas amongst friends. Or, at any rate, amongst friends one wishes to keep...
I don't hold by such wisdom though, hoping that I might ever be able to mediate on such matters and tread a happy middle-ground. For once, though, I found myself in the position of agitator - as the member of the conversation most liable to some (left-wing) extremism. A slightly surprising quandry for a self-proclaimed middle-man. The talking was mostly based around the status of American politics, the prevailing cultures of such in the USA and also (perhaps most intriguingly) on the news and the media establishments who present the politics to us.
My friends turn out to be a lot more conservative than I initially took them to be - though it does clarify some issues I had been pondering in relation to them. But more interesting than their orientation (which I believe they reflexively see as a middle-ground, balancing out my liberalism - they regard the BBC as rather left-wing biased also) is the new take it has afforded me on my previous comments (see 'These People Really Exist' below).
We talked about the book mentioned therin, and, well, I'll admit that I didnt' give it quite as much daylight as maybe I should have. Talking to them got me to thinking that maybe I assume too many things to be true, because they're easier to assume. For instance, my approach to the UN and the way I regard the general views I've found in America - was I missing something by not considering all nations to be self-serving in the way that I see the USA (and UK) as self-serving? Maybe that's just the way it is. In which case, the USA is pretty damned courageous in operating independently of the UN - though from whence it gains the credentials to operate as a 'Global Police Force' I know not. Nor do I want to delve into such matters here.
I'm more interested in the way that I see things. And the ways in which my perspectives are changing. I'd never encountered (not here at any rate) people who have such an interesting mix of what I'd call a liberal/educated lifestyle with some strongly conservative politics. I've had my eyes opened to a new way of appraching such thoughts. And for that I'm glad - though I still stand firm in my opposition to much US and UK foreign policy. However, I think I can empathise just a little bit more now with those who adopt a viewpoint from the other side . . .
Then I sit back and realise that all of this is fine. But that I still love these friends the same, still enjoy their company and still hope to be challenged by them on the odd occassion. It just won't be me raising any political issues the next time we go out for tea.
