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Al gore Quote by Sarah Vowell

“With a century and change between the 1880 convention and now, I’ll admit I rolled my eyes at the ideological hairsplitting, wondering how a group of people who more or less agreed with one another about most issues could summon forth such stark animosity. Thankfully, we Americans have evolved…” quote by Sarah Vowell
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““With a century and change between the 1880 convention and now, I’ll admit I rolled my eyes at the ideological hairsplitting, wondering how a group of people who more or less agreed with one another about most issues could summon forth such stark animosity. Thankfully, we Americans have evolved, our hearts made larger, our minds more open, welcoming the negligible differences among our fellows with compassion and respect. As a Democrat who voted for Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election, an election suspiciously tipped to tragic Republican victory because of a handful of contested ballots in the state of Florida, I, for one, would never dream of complaining about the votes siphoned in that state by my fellow liberal Ralph Nader, who convinced citizens whose hopes for the country differ little from my own to vote for him, even though had those votes gone to Gore, perhaps those citizens might have spent their free time in the years to come more pleasurably pursuing leisure activities, such as researching the sacrifice of Family Garfield, instead of attending rallies and protests against wars they find objectionable, not to mention the money saved on aspirin alone considering they’ll have to pop a couple every time they read the newspaper, wondering if the tap water with which they wash down the pills is safe enough to drink considering the corporate polluter lobbyists now employed at the EPA.””

Sarah Vowell

About This Quote

Source Essay: Cultural Commentary, 2021

Reflects on political polarization, personal voting history, and the complexities of electoral outcomes, urging compassion despite differences.

In simple terms: Political differences should be met with compassion.

Key Takeaway

Embrace empathy over division.

Themes

politics polarization compassion

Mood

thoughtful hopeful

Type

philosophical social

When to use this quote

  • voting decisions
  • public discourse
  • media consumption
  • environmental policy

Key Concepts

civic engagement electoral systems

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can we foster respectful dialogue?
  • What role does media play in division?
A Different Perspective

Idealism may overlook practical constraints.

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