i'm going on an adventure

and this one historian was talking about the compromise that went into the document, specifically how sections condemning the King's involvement in the slave trade were taken out to 'compromise' with certain delegates.  and the guy was saying "yeah, historians can say this was evil, but if there hadn't been this compromise, we might not have a country."

and even if we want to argue that the founding of the USA was a net good for the world.  i just am thinking.  It's very easy to say the compromise was worth it when you're not the one being enslaved.

and this guy went on about how we don't compromise in this country anymore, we don't come together over shared values, we came together as a country during the bicentennial and we're not doing that for 250.

and I'm just sitting here like do we even HAVE shared values as citizens of this country?  I used to think we did when i was younger but shit like "democracy is good" and "the president shouldn't be a tyrant" and "nazis are bad" do not appear to be universally agreed on!  and did the country ACTUALLY come together for the bicentennial?  admittedly I wasn't alive 50 years ago but i don't think there was some kind of kumbaya in 1976.  even if there was it certainly didn't last!

i hear over and over about how we have to compromise, how important it is to society, and i can understand it in theory.  but in practice?  my political opinions are basically "evidence-based harm reduction for the most people possible" and certain other people's political opinions are "stick it to the woke left."  how am i supposed to find common ground there.  how am i supposed to find compromise between "ICE killing people in the streets is wrong" and "it's good actually."  what, are we supposed to agree that it's okay to only half-kill people in the streets?

and as always: who exactly is expected to compromise.  who is rewarded for sticking to their beliefs and who is hated for it.  who is allowed to talk and who is asked to keep their mouth shut to "keep the peace".

who is asked to compromise their own humanity for the good of everyone else.

why do we value how things look over how they actually are?  why do we prioritize the status quo and not rocking the boat over doing what is *right*?