Nuance; is it in you?

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“You see, it is possible to like, even love people, things and places and yet disgree on various points. I bet there are even New Yorkers who can tell the difference between a man and a woman, for example, and are alarmed that the governing body of their mass transit system can’t, and yet they love their city. It’s a complex, nuanced thing that may require some sophistication to understand.” [emphasis added]
— Jules Crittenden, May 3, 2010

It is, indeed, as one of my favorite bloggers says, "a complex, nuanced thing", and it bears repeating, because so many seem to forget that fact of life. One size does not fit all. It is not normally one or the other option. The world's axis of rotation provides 360° of longitudinal variety along 180° of latitude. Socio-economic and political issues are replete with nuance. Humanity is a many-splendored thing.

Just because Jules is critical of the unisex-like bathroom policy in the New York subway system, he is not automatically barred from liking, even loving, the City of New York. Just because I am loath to agree with anything Nancy Pelosi says or does, you mustn't conclude that I also loath San Francisco. It's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there (nor could I afford to). Moreover, I have similar sentiments about Manhattan.

Having immigrated to America as a child, I have always been a promoter of immigration. As a proud naturalized American citizen, I am a strong supporter of the American way of life, which includes my great admiration for our justice system and the rule of law on which it is based. Does this mean I am against illegal immigration? Of course. There is no contradiction in that.

Our two-party political system is somewhat of an anomaly. But it does not follow that if you think the Democrats are insane, then you must be a Republican. Frequently, it simply means that you judge the Republicans to be less insane.

Our seemingly polarized society, with the vile rhetoric at the extremes, is characterized by its most vocal partisans, who naturally migrate to the opposite poles of our diversities. But the rhetoric frequently disavows all possibility of nuance, and thereby devolves into obnoxious shouting matches, with which most Americans, I suspect, are thoroughly disgusted.

Post #1,251 Nuance; is it in you?