Stanek column: ‘We’re more similar than we are different’

If you drove through Reedsburg Sunday night, chances are you saw the Black Lives Matter protest along with Trump supporters.

I was there as a journalist to cover the gathering.

When I started out, however, I noticed one of my relatives had showed up and was hanging out in a parking lot, just watching everything. He wasn’t there to yell at protestors or badger them; he was just curious. He was wearing Trump shirt, but he wears that everywhere. I think he even has Trump slippers he wears at home.

I don’t share his politics but I still stopped so he could hug me and talk to me. He said he’s against police brutality but also supports good cops. He ultimately ended up chatting with some of the protestors, and I saw them share smiles and handshakes. He complimented one man on his sign.

At one point, he said to me, “I think we’re more similar than we are different.”

He’s right. Deep down, most of us want the same things. We want our rights protected, we care about this country, we want to be safe. We have different politics, religions, cultures and backgrounds, and we often disagree. At the end of the day, though, most of us do desire peace and freedom.

You’ll see horrible behavior from any career, age, race, gender, faith, party affiliation, etc. That doesn’t mean everyone in that group is this way. In my experience, it’s just the opposite. The majority of police are not ruthless killers, nor are protestors fascists and vandals by default. Voting for Trump doesn’t automatically make you racist or sexist. Voting for Biden doesn’t make you a babykiller. Wearing a mask doesn’t make you a sheep. Not wearing a mask doesn’t make you a sociopath.

It hurts to see people be condescending and rude to each other, especially when you know we, as humans, are so much better than this. We’ve built skyscrapers and castles, pioneered life-saving medicines, rescued animals from unspeakable neglect, given food and clothing to those who’ve lost everything. In the face of the worst evils, there has always been good.

Sometimes, we just have to agree to disagree but that doesn’t mean there needs to be animosity between us.

I’m not so naïve to think we’ll achieve world peace. As long as evil exists and humans are flawed, crimes will still occur. Hate will still happen. Wars will break out. I figure I’ll just do the best I can to be good. I’ve made mistakes, done stupid stuff and made asinine comments. I have many regrets, including a heaping helping from those pesky teenage years. (Thank God smartphones didn’t exist when I was 15.)

Here’s hoping the good prevails in this year of travails. After all, isn’t that what most of us want?

Heather Stanek is editor of the Reedsburg Independent. Contact her at reedindy@newspubinc.com.