I somewhat admire pure idealists. They fight for what's right, are filled with a burning passion to do just that, and never settle for less than what is their ideal vision on an issue. Having said that, I am also somewhat frustrated with pure idealists. While their drive and passion to fight for what's right is admirable, they often times seem to impede progress due to a lack of willingness to compromise.
At my core, I'm an idealist. When I was in college, I could probably have been labeled a pure idealist. However, as I started living the post-college life and better understanding how government works (or doesn't work), I came to realize that, while idealism may be admirable in a certain context, without at least a touch of realism added to the mix, we're often times left with obstructionism.
When it comes to the end goal, pure idealists have the right idea and it's wise to initially fight for that end goal. However, if and when that end goal appears out of reach at the current time, it's in no way helpful to maintain an all-or-nothing mentality and prevent any progress as a result, no matter how slight it might be. While the Affordable Care Act may not be what self-described liberals and progressives initially fought for, it's a step in the right direction toward the end goal of universal healthcare. We can't lose sight of that.
Women didn't earn the right to vote overnight. Blacks didn't end slavery with a snap of their fingers. Gay and lesbian couples weren't allowed to legally marry by telling each other and Supreme Court Justices, "Okay, this is what's going to happen. We're going to make this legal now or never." No matter how much we may wish such a quick process would take place, that's not how things work in reality. Due to that, we can't keep seeing slight progressions as failures, but more as baby-steps to our ideal vision.
I think this is one reason why idealistic Democrats tend to be less reliable on election day. While conservative Republicans tend to be of the mindset, "No change is the best change," idealistic Democrats often times say to themselves, "Not enough change occurred to warrant me voting again." We can't keep looking at things from a black-and-white, all-or-nothing lens. Steps forward are just that, and allowing politicians into office whom will likely attempt to revert said progress is obstructionist to idealism. So let's all take a deep breath and continue to fight for our ideals, but with a realistic lens, so we don't impede progress to said ideals.
At my core, I'm an idealist. When I was in college, I could probably have been labeled a pure idealist. However, as I started living the post-college life and better understanding how government works (or doesn't work), I came to realize that, while idealism may be admirable in a certain context, without at least a touch of realism added to the mix, we're often times left with obstructionism.
When it comes to the end goal, pure idealists have the right idea and it's wise to initially fight for that end goal. However, if and when that end goal appears out of reach at the current time, it's in no way helpful to maintain an all-or-nothing mentality and prevent any progress as a result, no matter how slight it might be. While the Affordable Care Act may not be what self-described liberals and progressives initially fought for, it's a step in the right direction toward the end goal of universal healthcare. We can't lose sight of that.
Women didn't earn the right to vote overnight. Blacks didn't end slavery with a snap of their fingers. Gay and lesbian couples weren't allowed to legally marry by telling each other and Supreme Court Justices, "Okay, this is what's going to happen. We're going to make this legal now or never." No matter how much we may wish such a quick process would take place, that's not how things work in reality. Due to that, we can't keep seeing slight progressions as failures, but more as baby-steps to our ideal vision.
I think this is one reason why idealistic Democrats tend to be less reliable on election day. While conservative Republicans tend to be of the mindset, "No change is the best change," idealistic Democrats often times say to themselves, "Not enough change occurred to warrant me voting again." We can't keep looking at things from a black-and-white, all-or-nothing lens. Steps forward are just that, and allowing politicians into office whom will likely attempt to revert said progress is obstructionist to idealism. So let's all take a deep breath and continue to fight for our ideals, but with a realistic lens, so we don't impede progress to said ideals.
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