If you’ve never been put in a box before, it’s not a lot of fun. And that’s exactly what happened to me about 15 years ago. I tried my hardest to stay out, but he kept pressuring me to self-identify which one I belonged in.
Here’s what happened. My son was a wide receiver for a college football team. Every weekend, we traveled around the country to watch him play.
After one game, we went out for dinner at a local bar. As we waited for a table, a college guy started up a conversation with me.
He asked, “Where are you from?”
I answered, “Minnesota. We came here for the game.”
Then he asked me another question, “Is Minnesota a red state or a blue state?”
A bit surprised, I responded honestly: “Well, both. Half our representatives are Republican; half are Democrats. Our two Senators are both Democrats now, but our governor is a Republican.”
“Shoot. We even had Jesse Ventura, the professional wrestler, as governor a few years ago, and he was an independent.”
This young man appeared confused. Then he said, “Oh. Um. What news station do you watch?”
I answered, “I get my news from multiple sources. That way I get a better perspective about what’s happening. So I usually check out Fox, CNN, MSNBC and NBC.”
He said one word, “Oh.” Then he turned away from me. End of conversation.
This young man couldn’t figure out which box I fit in. Was from a Red State or Blue State? Were we on the same team—or mortal enemies.
All I could think about was this: If we can’t talk, we’re at a stalemate. We just fight and try to convince the “others” of our rightness or perhaps righteousness.
And the truth is, I’m from the United States of America. And that’s why I’ve started this website.