Thursday, October 1, 2020

You Should All Be Voting for . . .

When it comes to politics, there actually is no them, only us. And we need to talk. And maybe listen

By Kevin Kohut, BC Director

Obviously, all union workers should vote for . . . Okay, that’s a cheap hook, and the beginnings of a ridiculous statement. Maybe I’m just feeling inspired after watching the recent US presidential debate (Was that an SNL sketch?).

It isn’t uncommon to hear emphatic, oversimplified, blanket statements when it comes to our political allegiances. Throughout the years, I’ve heard many forms of, “Well, as a Christian, I assume you’ll be voting for . . . .” “If you care about the environment, then of course you’ll be voting for . . .” “The economy is important to me, so there’s only one choice.” “Social justice matters to me, so I’ll be voting for . . .”

So what am I supposed to do if I’m a person of faith, who loves the environment, cares about the economy, social justice and, and, and . . . ?

The fact is that most of us are complex creatures, who wear several hats and have numerous interests to balance. Not to mention that there is probably a 23 percent chance that my particular view of the world isn’t 100 percent accurate.

I have been fortunate in life to be surrounded by some good and interesting people who regularly impact my thinking, even though our opinions may not align. One of the characteristics I’ve grown to respect most in some of these influencers is the ability to genuinely listen to another viewpoint. With actual interest.

It might be because they have an acute awareness that they don’t know everything, and that there’s good odds that any person they are conversing with knows much that they do not—even if the individual isn’t especially articulate, or a subscriber to their political/philosophical standpoint.

I have a friend who would share any social media post he sincerely agreed with, regardless of which political party it originated from. The net result was a guaranteed spate of angry vitriol from those who were against the party/politician that the post originated with, even though the statements themselves represented universal principles we would all agree with.

To the minds of the responders, he was now one of them and no longer one of us. There is something wrong with this. There actually is no them, only us. And we need to talk. And maybe listen.

I am honoured to be part of an organization that refuses to tell its members who they should vote for and refuses to financially support a particular political party. I love the fact that we have staff whose political passions differ from each other, and that as an organization we have endeavored to sit down and work with each of the political parties.

Conversely, we have not been afraid to speak up against them when they have pushed agendas and policies that we deem harmful to our members. We’re far from perfect, but I like that we aim high.

I trust that this thought I’m sharing won’t be interpreted as a statement against the importance of some of the issues at stake in upcoming provincial election here in BC, or for that matter in the US. They matter, and there will be consequences based on our decisions.

Some of us will prioritize different things, and may ultimately vote differently than we think they should. But they are still part of us.

You Should All Be Voting for . . .

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