159 – People…Like You - a podcast by Alf Herigstad

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PEOPLE…LIKE YOU!
First, let’s thank our sponsor…
This episode is brought to you by John and Todd and all the other good people over at Stumptown Kilts.  These are craftsmen who’s purpose in life is to provide the world with the most well made, well designed kilts available.I own three of these kilts myself and I doubt I will ever get one anywhere else, because they have it all.  From the rugged, attractive material, the adjustable size, the attachable pockets and the huge hidden pocket…not to mention the affordable price and premium craftsmanship.  Seriously guys, if you have ever thought of getting a kilt, Stumptown Kilts is the only place you need to go.
Right now there is a special, exclusive  offer for listeners of Being A Better Man,  go to http://stumptownkilts.com (stumptownkilts.com), pick out your kilts and accessories, then when you are checking out enter the code:  betterman, all lower case, and you will receive 10% off your entire online purchase.  Go to http://stumptownkilts.com (stumptownkilts.com) today, and tell them Alf sent you.There will be a contest coming up soon to win a free Stumptown kilt.  Keep an eye on the Facebook page, that is where all the details will be posted.
Well, it’s Friday again.  Another chance for me to talk about things that are on my mind.  Not just random things…but things that pertain to being a better man of course.Honestly, I think all of our lives have been dominated by the political news cycle lately…I know mine has.  When I have had enough of it I seek refuge in some other activity or conversation, but since everyone I know is being affected by it, it’s hard to get away from it…it shows up everywhere I go.
I wouldn’t be so bad if everyone was having a non-emotional, civil exchange of ideas, but that is not the case unfortunately. Each side of the political discussion has come up with an entire set of derogatory names, labels, and characterizations for the other side.
People on both sides of the argument think people on the other side are either pure evil, hopelessly stupid, misinformed, or misguided.  When the truth of the matter is…the majority of people on the other side are just…people.  People like you.I see this happening and I ask myself why?  Why must it be so adversarial?  I think a big part of the answer is the media itself, and how things are reported. 
When all you see about the other side is the worst, most abhorrent behavior, it makes you think everyone on that side of the fence is like that.I learned an important lesson when I was in the Army.  In High school I was one of the country kids, we wore cowboy hats and lived on farms, did chores and all of that.  Our upbringing reenforced certain ideals, and we naturally thought that we were right.
At the time, in the late 70’s, there were other groups of people that we deemed to be our inferior opposites.  I’m talking about the hippies and the stoners.  Their world view was completely different from ours, and we knew that they were wrong.  We vilified these groups of people. I remember parking at 7-11 on Friday nights in the hopes we could start a fight with some hippies or stoners…as if that would have proven anything.
It became very “us and them”.  It seemed to us that there was no hope for these long-haired, worthless, dope smoking, no-account slackers…as if their very humanity was in question because we couldn’t find any redeeming qualities in how they lived or thought, because they were different than us.It’s kind of embarrassing now to remember how prejudiced I was against these other kids, but, that’s how it was then.
Then I joined the Army and something strange happened.  They cut off all our hair.  Then they dressed us all in identical clothing.  Suddenly I could not longer tell who was who.It was unsettling at first.  I had become used to making snap judgments about people simply by looking at...

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