Can't Pick Your Family

While doing my interview, my subject Deb said that she had a bias against “stupid people.” She was quick to point out she didn’t mean handicapped people or uneducated people, she meant narrow minded, bigoted, intolerant people. I didn't think much about it, but I did decide to leave it out of my paper. Later that week, I got into a discussion on Facebook with several friends and family members about the big contraception issue brewing with the Catholic Church hierarchy and the Obama administration. It was incredible how quickly sides were chosen, with finger pointing and misinformation flying all over FB. I found myself furious at my brother and my female cousin, neither of whom are practicing Catholics. How could they believe what they were saying, especially my cousin insisting she “supports women’s rights” yet agreeing with the Church’s stance on birth control and health insurance. I couldn’t believe how stupid they all were, couldn’t they listen to reason? I was disappointed in them; I thought they were smarter than that. Then I realized that I was being narrow-minded, too. I tried my best to change their minds with facts and figures. I talked about a women’s right to privacy, the slippery slope when an employer decides to claim a special exemption from a law; what's next, what if it was dialysis or blood transfusions. We all dug in deeper and harder, none of us changed our minds. I thought I would quit FB but instead I decided to keep my views to myself. I keep thinking maybe I could have been more open to their opinions but I just can’t accept the Church’s argument and can't help but be disappointed with a few members of my family. Yes, I feel just as strongly in my point of view as they do in theirs. I wonder if they think I'm stupid and narrow minded, too.