You see I have always been terrible at arguing. I couldn’t win an argument to save my life when I was younger. Maybe it was a fear of hearing my parents argue? Maybe I just didn’t like confrontation? But I was awful at stating an argument.
With me, it was always about seeing both sides. Up on the fence you may be pulling splinters out of your buttocks, but you get an advantageous view. As a historian I love to see a helicopter view where both sides / versions of events are viewed.
Take the current conflict on Ukraine. I stand with the Ukrainians and see the stupidity and vanity of a CCCP throwback-artist throwing his butch weight around trying to gain some territory, harking back to the good old days. A country who has carved its own furrow has had its independence threatened for the sake of some natural resources and a very tactical naval base. Yet I don’t like the way the West is fighting Russia by proxy. I cannot see how we can watch China carefully to see if they whisper about supplying weapons to Russia, whilst promising billions of pounds of supplies to President Zelensky. He is rather charismatic but he was a TV entertainer. Can you imagine Ant or Dec taking on a Churchillian role? Yet we’re queuing up to promise him very technologically advanced weapons.
And so it goes. This is typical of the way I look at contentious issues . I think. I have some strong views. But no more than that. I sit on the fence and moan to myself. This eejit or that pillock. It’s not fair. They should be more willing to reconcile and say sorry. Perhaps I am not intelligent enough to formulate a water-tight and robust counter argument against the Daily Mail-reading members of the population. Perhaps it’s that fear of confrontation. Maybe it’s my desire to not have people think badly of me or criticise me.
And the view is grand. I can see both sides from here. Sure I can feel the splinters (so could Christ), but that won’t stop my comfort, safety and refuge of sitting on the fence. As an old boss used to say to me, “my door’s always open, unless it’s shut”, so I say “To sit comfortably on a fence it’s best to face one way, not straddle it. You’ll land more easily when the time comes.”
As for Lemuel K. Washburn, my honesty is in me being seen sitting on the fence. Maybe this blog was designed to allow myself to align myself with one side or the other. However I hate the way in which the media is intent on polarising Joe Public’s opinions to reach extremes, and drive people more dangerously towards radicalism (left or right). I espouse middle ground and fence-sitting. Celebrate differences but recognise common beliefs. Live and let live. And pick the splinters out. Or even better, have someone who loves you to pick the splinters out.