Whatever Happened to Calling People Names

I have a serious question about something I honestly thought we all learned somewhere between finger painting and nap time.

I completely understand that people think differently, vote differently, eat differently, dress differently, worship differently, and see the world through different experiences. Honestly, that’s one of the things I enjoy most about people. If every one of us agreed on everything, life would be incredibly dull.

What I don’t understand is the need to call each other names.

Stupid.

Idiot.

Moron.

Ignorant.

Fill in the blank with just about any insult you can think of.

Really?

We survived potty training. We learned not to eat the paste. We figured out how to stand in line without shoving the kid in front of us. Somewhere along the way we even mastered “please” and “thank you.”

But apparently, “Don’t call people names” didn’t stick.

I’ll admit it. Every now and then I’ll read a comment online and actually say out loud, “Who raised you?”

Then I catch myself and think…somewhere there’s probably a mom reading that very comment saying, “I raised you better than that.”

That thought always makes me smile.

I know all the explanations.

“People are insecure.”

“It’s freedom of speech.”

“They’re just telling it like it is.”

“It’s only the internet.”

“If you post publicly, you should expect it.”

Maybe there’s some truth in every one of those.

But just because we can say something doesn’t always mean we should.

I’ve reached an age where I don’t need everyone to agree with me. In fact, I’d probably be a little suspicious if they did. Some of my favorite conversations have been with people who saw the world completely differently than I do. I may not have changed their mind, and they certainly didn’t always change mine, but we walked away having learned something about each other.

That seems to be disappearing.

Today, too many conversations start with disagreement and end with an insult. As if calling someone “stupid” somehow makes our own opinion more intelligent.

It doesn’t.

If anything, it usually ends the conversation before it has a chance to become interesting.

Maybe I’m old-fashioned.

Or maybe kindergarten got a few things right.

You don’t have to share your crayons.

You don’t have to pick the same color construction paper.

You don’t even have to like the same snacks.

But you can still be kind.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if we could disagree, debate, laugh, and even change each other’s minds without feeling the need to tear one another down?

I’d genuinely love to know what you think.

When did simple disagreement become name-calling?

And more importantly…do you think we can find our way back?