Welcome To the Age of Hate and Mistrust
Not long ago, you could trust your friends, colleagues, and neighbors regardless of their party affiliation or their opinions on anything
During the latter part of the pandemic, I drove up to a diner I liked and noticed they had Trump signs plastered everywhere.
That was fine.
Even though I’m a Democrat who voted for Biden, I recognize I live in Trump country and respect other’s political views.
We’re all Americans, right?
But as I approached the diner’s front door, there was a hand-scribbled sign that read, “Only Trump Supports Welcome.”
My heart started racing. What was I supposed to do?
Confront the manager?
Walk away?
Pretend I didn’t read it?
I was working in a rural area and didn’t want to lose one of the few diners around, so I gently told the waitress I felt offended — who knew me as a regular — and that I was not a Trump supporter and asked if I was supposed to leave.
She was aghast.
She told the manager who calmly, and respectfully, explained how furious he was that the election was “stolen” and that he agreed the sign was a bit extreme and would take it down but would not take down the…
