Dear Conservative In-Laws,
I just want to state for the record that college did make me liberal, but not for the reasons you may have been told. College didn’t brainwash me. It opened my eyes.
I learned a lot about history, language, and literature, but I also learned a lot about people. I met people from all around the country and all around the globe. They had different skin tones and practiced different religions (or none at all), and some had different sexual orientations.
I liked some of the people I met and disliked others, but how I felt about them had little to do with how they looked, where they were from, which god they worshiped, or whom they slept with. It was all about personality. When we talked, we didn’t always agree, but we listened to each other and came to respect each other’s opinions. I learned as much from them as I did from my college classes.
We live in a big world, and there are so many thoughts to think and ways to be and things to do that you couldn’t describe every combination if you had a thousand years in which to try. This diversity is not a bad thing. It’s actually really cool.
And all the people of the world are going about their days, trying to make lives for themselves in whatever ways feels right to them, just as you are. However different we may seem, we are all human beings. We are all equally deserving of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
I was not coerced or led blindly into being a liberal, but even if I had been, I’d say it was for the good. The word “liberal” means “broad-minded,” and broad-mindedness is a worthy goal. How can you stake any claim to intelligence if you’re not willing to learn new things? And how can you learn anything if you mind isn’t open to it? You don’t have to go to college to be intelligent or knowledgeable, but you do have to be open to learning.
So don’t hate liberals. Join us instead.
Sincerely,
Your Liberal In-Law
