Karlyn is abnormally open-minded in this day of divisive tribalism. When the online bullying she witnessed shook up her assumptions, she decided to pursue different political points of view on youtube in order to educate herself.
Her perception was that people in the opposite political party were evil people who wanted to control her life. But she discovered that they were pretty normal, intelligent, well-intentioned.
In New Hampshire she had experienced all sorts of political rallies, so the opportunity came to attend one for the other political party. That was intimidating. A woman advised her to bring pepper spray since she would be in danger from the evil people, the lowest of the low.
Surprisingly, they turned out to be nice, average people. She let it slip that she belonged to the other party, and they said, "Good for you! Welcome!"
Karlyn's conclusion: "I refuse to be a part of the divisiveness any longer. I refuse to hate people I don’t know simply because they choose to vote for someone else. If we’re going to heal the country, we have to start taking steps toward one another rather than away."
from Medium
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