Are you with me or against me?

I've been inspired to write this blog in response to the avalanche of binary thinking that has overwhelmed the country. Obviously, the rhetorical technique of offering binary choices is nothing new. The use of a bogeyman to scare people into compliance is designed to polarize people and destroy nuance and critical thinking. We see this on full display today with the "Nazi vs Antifa" debate. You are either a Nazi, or you're with the Antifa! There can be no other choice!

We've seen how this turned out before. Just tens days after 9/11, while the ruins of the Twin Towers were still burning, then President George W. Bush stated, "You are either with us, or you are with the terrorists!".

Of course, as it turned out, "the terrorists" ended up being in Iraq which had nothing to do with 9/11. It wasn't a binary choice. Given some perspective and the proper information most people wouldn't have been either with Bush and his merry band of invaders, or the terrorists. It wasn't a binary choice, because the world is a complicated place and there are very rarely, if ever, binary choices.

The fact is that its not a choice between supporting Nazis or Antifa. Its perfectly reasonable to oppose both groups. Its perfectly reasonable to oppose all people who wear hoods and swing clubs, regardless of the ideology they espouse. Its perfectly reasonable to support absolute free speech while utterly denouncing hateful and ignorant speech. Its perfectly reasonable to oppose Trump while also opposing the corporatist warmongers that run the Democratic party. The world is a nuanced place, and its important to have nuanced positions, and remain aware of the powerful forces that attempt to shape your awareness with their false paradigms.