I'm not naive or nostalgic enough to think political disagreements between family members didn't exist until the 1990's. I've seen "All in the Family."

But I'm also old enough to remember a time when people could disagree with, or knew that the disagreed with, a family member or acquaintance without it destroying their relationship or causing a painful family/neighborhood/work/friend get-together. Maybe the topics of discord were avoided, or maybe they were joked about, or maybe they were toned down to keep harmony. I'm not saying it was a perfect system, but it at least kept a veneer of civility to social interactions.

I believe that Rush Limbaugh and his right-wing blowhards ruined that with their "talent on loan from God" bullshit and utter contempt and squashing and dehumanization of anyone who disagreed with them. And the right-wing politicians of the 1990's picked up that ball and ran with it, refusing to compromise or work out solutions with their co-workers across the hall.

And those left-of-center reacted by either becoming defensive, giving up, or roaring back in a similar fashion.

Now, from more than one person, I've heard about painful social gatherings because people now feel they can, and should, lash out against people who think or feel differently because those other people are "wrong." Nay, they are evil incarnate! Forget conversion, they must be destroyed!

Since when is it okay to go to someone's wake or funeral and say, "Too bad he/she is going to hell, because he/she wasn't 'born again'?" Or to declare that anyone who believes in God is stupid and anti-science or a book burner?

How could anyone possibly believe it is socially acceptable to attack someone for being a dirty commie/hippie/abortionist in the buffet line? Didn't you read a book or see a movie or enjoy a sporting event you could talk about instead?

I'm not saying that conversations should be limited to small talk. Okay, maybe I am. If you are incapable of listening and considering what another person has to say, if you are so self-righteous that you can't manage to engage in a polite exchange of ideas rather than a hateful diatribe, then yes. Keep your face stuffed with potato salad or green bean casserole or whatever the host and hostess have put on the table in the attempt to make a lovely party.

Don't ruin it with your ugliness.

(Luckily for me, the divides in my family run down sporting team lines instead of political ones.)