Bumper Sticker Activism

Or, Should You Wear A Flag Pin In Your Lapel? 

tl;dr: I was taken to task for not speaking out regarding certain current events. I was told my silence was giving support to a socially unacceptable stance within the community. My reply? Not speaking due to insufficient facts is in no way support or opposition to a viewpoint. You can look at my life and see exactly what I support, or ask me how I feel if it isn't plain enough. You do not, however, get to assign motives or thoughts to me ad lib. Doing so makes you a troll and I want nothing to do with such. 

I always struggle with in your face philosophical discussions. I know they have a great many proponents, but I've never been convinced to change my ways by having my words or actions distorted for effect. Certainly not by being insulted or, even worse, having words put in my mouth and being lambasted for that which I've neither said nor implied.

I find myself in a similar quandary now. In fact, increasingly of late and on several fronts. I'm being asked to post this in favor of XYX and that in favor of ABC or I'm just not a good [opponent of cause célèbre]. 

I recall a bit of controversy about a political candidate for president of these United States of America being castigated for not wearing a US flag pin on his lapel during his election run. All the other candidates did, why didn't he? My (now ex) wife accused me "being a communist" when I removed a patriotic bumper sticker from my car, one she had placed there. She didn't accept my explanation I thought bumper stickers looked cheap and trashy, the actual reason (and still the way I feel all these years later). No, she wanted the outward display, erupting into a fury when I told her I lived my life in such a way as to show my love of my country through my actions: I voted, paid my taxes on time and in full, obeyed the laws, and absolutely refuse to engage in idle trash-talk about a sitting president (NB: thoughtful criticism of actual news about the president is another matter entirely). 

Now, we're rolling into a newer public argument about sexual harassment and the attendant libel and slander accusations getting hurled around. I work primarily with younger females, and I'm constantly on guard about what I say or do. I work in the medical profession, and in medical emergencies I often have to make more bodily contact with them than would be considered appropriate in most other situations. So, I take great care to otherwise be extremely respectful of both their space and the way in which I communicate with them. I refer to them as coworkers and healthcare professionals and avoid observations about their sex or appearance. I don't do this to avoid getting into trouble, though it does have that effect, too. No, I do this to insure they understand I look at them as a professional colleague upon whom I can count for assistance in a medical emergency.

In other words, I live my life in such a way as to reflect how I feel on the inside. This is why I don't do bumper stickers or hashtags or copy/paste/reposts. If you can't look at my life and understand I'm on your side? Then all fault lies with me for not living up to what I strongly believe on the inside. 

But understand this ... and hear me well. Talking to me as if I'm stupid or projecting your bigotry onto me to draw me into an argument with you is fruitless. I don't bother with feeding Trolls, I simply block and forget about them. Life is simply too short for tomfoolery.