by Greg Meyer
September 30, 2016
If you’re like me, you’ve reached the point in the year where your social media feeds are politically charged. Everyone has an opinion, and they’re going to tell you about it! You better agree with the candidate of their choice, or they’ll unfriend you! After all, if you don’t vote with them, you’re the reason this stable country is falling apart.
Is it no coincidence then that two of the biggest movies this year are all about choosing a side? Both Superman Vs Batman and Captain America: Civil War are about heroes forced to do battle amongst each other. The ad campaigns for both movies stressed this, asking you to pick a hero to stand with. While both movies took different approaches to this idea, with Sups Vs Bats being more of a personal tiff, and CA: Civil War splitting the Avengers into two teams, both had the same idea.
Personally, as a casual comics enthusiast, I’m not fond of these types of crossovers. I’m of the mindset that I want to see heroes act like heroes and fight the bad guys, not each other. Now, I’m not saying there can’t be any personal conflict between heroes. It wouldn’t be realistic to show them getting along all the time. After all, friends get into disagreements all the time. I see the appeal of the stories, but they’re just not for me. I only watched Superman Vs Batman because it was a DC movie. I’ve yet to see Captain America: Civil War, and I might never watch it.
Did I mention that I was disappointed that Civil War was going to get adapted for a Marvel movie? I don’t care that the new Spider-man is in it (Andrew Garfield, I’ve got your back bro!), or Black Panther. Blah!
From cinemablend.com
I’ve been used to these types of arbitrary divisions since I was a kid. On the playground, you had to identify with either being a Marvel or DC fan. You couldn’t enjoy both. It’s a constant problem in the world of video games, too. I’ve been involved in enough console wars in my lifetime that my gravestone will be adorned with medals for my service in the 32/64 bit wars. Sega does what Nintendon’t! Quality over Quantity! These were the war cries I heard as system armies battled each other to the death.
Anyhow, the political season and these super hero movies point out one thing to me: as a people, we’re cartoonishly divided among each other. It’s even worse now, with people stating that if you vote one way, you are no friend to them.
As someone who stays away from politics and Internet arguments as much as I can, I find it sad. I hold values that are important to me, and I know many people who hold opposing views. Do I disagree with them on these topics? Absolutely! There are certainly positions I hold that I refuse to bend my stance on. Likewise, I know my friends hold positions that they refuse to sway on as well.
Far be it from me, though, to hand someone I meet a clipboard, asking them to fill it out so I can check whether I can be friends with them or not. What kind of person would that make me? I’d only surround myself in an echo chamber that endlessly repeats the beliefs that I hold. I surrender my ability to grow and think if I act that way.
If I only surrounded myself with DC Comics fans, I’d never learn how great the Guardians of the Galaxy or Ant-Man are. If I only listened to Nintendo gamers, I never would’ve discovered the Dark Souls series. I never would’ve listened to Five Iron Frenzy or Flatfoot 56 if I only listened to metal. Being surrounded by a variety of opinions helps me grow. It not only allows me to expand my view of the world, but also strengthen my beliefs and opinions on what I do like. It gives me reasons to think about the beliefs I hold and decide if they’re still true to me or not.
Don’t give in to the increasing tendency to view people who hold contrary opinions as the enemy. Instead, try to understand why someone likes what they like or believes what they do. That doesn’t make you an opinionless person, but rather someone with depth. Sure, it’s not always easy to do, and you’ll encounter some pretty vicious people in the process; but I want to be a person that can see where others come from and meet them where they’re at.
I had a long conversation on Saturday with one of my best friends about the Apostle Paul and his trip to Athens. While Paul was a Christian in a land surrounded by pagan gods, he found a monument dedicated to an unknown god. Paul used this as a gateway to try and reach the people of Athens, speaking to them in a way that he could relate to them. He didn’t smash the other monuments in righteous fury, nor did he decide not to speak to them. Instead, he tried to understand his audience and actually get to know them. It wasn’t an easy sermon to deliver, and some mocked him and his message, but he still found fruit in what many would’ve considered unyielding soil. To be honest, I don’t know if I could’ve done the same, but it encourages me to think outside of the box that society wants us to stay in.
So don’t unfriend that person on your feed who isn’t voting like you are. You became friends with them for a reason; remember that. Be kind to those you disagree with, and if you need to, take a walk and remember there’s more to life than politics.
After all, we all have a mother named Martha, and that unites us all.
