I started reacting to something you put on facebook, but I've learned this year that the publicity of facebook disagreements make them feel like a contest rather than a conversation, so I quickly deleted what I said -- but I still wanted to say it, because you said something that frustrated me and made me feel belittled, and I felt like I needed to tell you that.

you put down someone you were talking to on facebook by saying he was "arguing like a liberal," and I've seen some similar stuff in that vein recently, and the cumulative effect is that it makes me feel like you are telling me you think I'm an idiot -- a person whose view is not worthy of entry-level respect -- because of how I identify politically.

you probably think that my saying that is overreacting and oversensitive, but that's not really the point. I believe (at least, I hope) that you know me well enough to think that I put a lot of thought into the conclusions I develop about the world -- even if you think those conclusions are wrong or misguided.

you posted before the election, "you know who'll still be your friend no matter who you vote for? me. because that's what adults do." so if that's your perspective -- if you think it's silly to paint with a broad brush and say, "if you vote for this, I think you're stupid," why turn around and denigrate a whole swath of people that includes folks you care about? it seems to me like we have a hard enough uphill battle ahead of us in this country, trying to mend the division that already exists, without casually reinforcing the idea that "people who adopt the opposing ideology are idiots."

do you think I'm an idiot, or do you not really mean it when you express the idea that liberals aren't worth listening to?

If it's the latter, then be better. don't speak that way, don't think that way. disagree with ideas. disagree with people. hell, disagree with me. but I think it's inconsiderate to knowingly catch me in the crossfire when you insult millions and millions of people, many of whom are just as smart as you are and have equally good reasons as you do for believing what they believe. you're better than that. and dammit, you're smarter than that too.

I disagreed with Christina about something of this nature, albeit something more minor, when she expressed the same insults on her facebook.  And it made me want to do some soul searching and find out if I'm living up to the standard I'm asking you to, here.  I went back and read a year of my own facebook posts and counted how many political posts I've made over the last year, as well as how many times I've expressed things that could be interpreted as an insult against people on my facebook.  At least within the last year, I've never made a blanket insult against "conservatives."  If I ever do, I hope you call me out on it.

Love you, even if you think I'm an idiot!