posted on Aug, 7 2022 @ 01:51 PM
This was the closest thread where I thought I could put this. It pertains to two hot button issues - climate change and immigration. A couple of days
ago, I was doing the second part of a three part paid survey. For this second part, I was in a zoom session with someone on the opposite side of my
views on climate change and immigration. So it was me, a liberal democrat, and a lady named Rae, a conservative republican. We were to discuss both
issues, our opinions, and go from there.
I have to say I was a little nervous. I'm not the most social person, and discussing hot button issues with a stranger with opposite political views
isn't exactly my idea of a fun relaxing time. So anyway, the moderator started the two of us off with a neutral thing - to discuss our thoughts of
the perfect day. We had a real nice conversation that I wish we could have extended, but we were limited on how long we could talk about that.
Then we got down to business. The first hot button issue we were to discuss was climate change. Rae and I agreed I would go first. I took a deep
breath, talked about my opinions on climate change and what I thought it was doing to the environment. I talked about all the extreme weather all over
the globe, and how there was so much well documented information on rising temperatures throughout the years. I also stated I thought climate change
was mainly caused by humans. Then Rae stated her opinions. It was pretty amazing how similar we thought on this issue. Rae lives in California, and
talked about devastating fires that came pretty close to her home. She also talked about how it is getting harder to get enough water to grow crops
now. The main thing we agreed to disagree on was the cause of climate change. But it was very civil. We talked, and laughed a couple of times.
The second hot button issue we discussed was immigration. I thought we would be on total opposite sides of this, but again, I was surprised at how
much we agreed on in common regarding immigration. I talked about the dairy farms in Wisconsin having problems getting people to do the dirty work
that many of us consider beneath us. The majority of people working those jobs on dairy farms are immigrants. Without them, it is much more difficult
for farmers to do what they need to do to stay solvent. I also talked about the thriving Hmong and Hispanic communities where I live. There are so
many wonderful Hmong and Hispanic festivals and cultural events around here. I also talked about how I'm taking online Spanish lessons to be able to
talk to Spanish speaking people if I volunteer. There is so much need. Rae talked about similar things going on with farms in California. There are
many immigrants who pick the crops and all that. Without them, there is no harvest. In addition, Rae's neighbors, who are both Hispanic immigrants,
are her best friends. We both felt that immigrants are valuable, and without them, this country would be screwed. We felt they are not taking away
jobs. They are adding to the economy in a big way. We also agreed that Border Patrol is overwhelmed, overworked and underpaid. We felt more Border
Patrol workers need to be added to combat the problems at the border. We also agreed that politicians on both sides liked to talk and talk but not
actually do anything about the problem.
After all was said and done, I felt very much at ease. I wish I could have talked to Rae a little more. I could see us being friends, despite our
differences. I truly believe there are more people like me and Rae's out there. It seems when average ordinary people get together and have civil
discussions, we find more common ground than we think we have. Problems could be tackled and things could be made better by average citizens banding
together, regardless of political beliefs, and making things better.