Us vs Them

There’s a trend I’ve noticed going around various countries in the political arena which seeps its way down into the consciousness of the people governed that I find disturbing. It reminds me of the slogan from the 1960s America during the Vietnam War protests and Civil Rights marches that went: “America: Love It or Leave It”. Now it is used in different countries with perhaps different wording but it is essentially if you are not with us, then you are with them and we not only don’t want you but you are the enemy just like them. Them, of course, being anyone not supporting a candidate, a political party, an ideology, a religion, a racial group, an ethnicity, whatever. It is a form of tribal mentality that really runs counter to the principles of any religion that I am familiar with: that being one that is inclusive not exclusive. To…