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I’m getting pretty tired of polarization, and yet, I’m guilty of it. I have a habit of scrolling through news headlines and wondering “which side is this writer on?” rather than just assuming they have their own opinion about the topic. I was raised on Disney movies, which traditionally preached the good vs evil narrative, and I live in a country that has multiple political parties, yet only shows debates between the front runners of two of them. 

One of my neurodivergent traits is seeing all of the sides. It’s both a blessing and a curse. And everything in between (see what I did there?) 

Polarization is reinforced in today’s society to help sell products and create power dominance by giving people the illusion of choice. Apple vs Android, Democrats vs Republicans, Coke vs Pepsi- (is that still a thing? I stopped drinking soda in my twenties so I haven’t paid attention)

 It’s dangerous to have a black and white mindset, because it causes people to think of others as either good or evil, when in fact, people are way more complex than that. 

I first read Gregory Maguire’s book, “Wicked” after the Broadway musical came out, and since then, I’ve noticed a lot more books, films, and TV shows with morally gray characters. I love stories with an evil character who finds redemption, or protagonists who have complex battles with themselves about right and wrong, which are never actually solved. I want more of these stories. They teach us to look past a person’s exterior, and not just place them in a box labeled either “good” or “bad”. Thank goodness for art that holds a mirror up to society, and makes us think. 

Humanity is not a team sport. I believe that if we all made it a practice to notice every time we have the thought of “which side should I be on”, and instead, looked at every situation as nuanced and complex, without a clear “good side” and “bad side”, the world would be a much more peaceful place! 

Thanks for reading!
Rebecca H. Lee
 

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