Ok everyone, listen up. Will the people whose reaction to the letter fell on the negative side of the spectrum please line up on that side of the room. Now the people whose reaction fell on the positive side please line up on the other side of the room. No need to run, just move up next to the wall.
What's that, Billy? You were ambivalent? You have to pick one or the other. You know, for us or against us? Ok then.
Now, look carefully at the people on the other side of the room. Many of them are your friends. Some not. Depending on which side of the room you're on, there's either a handful of people on the other side or quite a few. I want you to pick out a single person on the other side of the room and concentrate on them.
Ok, now. Remember that this person feels differently about the matter at hand than you do. Does that make them the wrong? Does that make their feelings any less valid? For that matter, are feelings ever wrong? Should people be faulted for sharing their honest reactions?
Political correctness is such a loaded term that it really has no business in a discussion unless you're trying to sell a book or throw some flamebait. Empathy, or the ability to acknowledge and perhaps even understand another person's feelings -- especially when they differ from your own -- is a skill that could do the world a whole lot of good if only people took the time to acquire it.
