Food like conversations, can either bring us together or pull us apart. Our San Francisco Tours are all about how we cross bridges and bring people together. Many people might assume that means we all agree on everything. I would suggest that what is missing is an agreement on how we disagree. For the majority of us, we think that the way to disagree is to respect one with a different opinion, respect their opinion, and discuss our disagreement in respectful manner.
With the rise of the Internet and the media, we have unfortunately seen an elevation of the individuals who, for whatever reason, think that being disrespectful, nasty, and at times downright mean is okay. The rest of us have accepted it. So when someone at a local, state, or national level exhibits behavior that is disrespectful, nasty, and at times downright mean, we act like it is okay. It is hurts someone else, many of us go, that’s okay, it’s not me.
The result is that we end with a polarized government, where comprise is a dirty word. But we also see in other ways. When is last time, you saw someone abuse a waitress, a clerk. When is last time you saw someone go into a restaurant, be the loudest, most demanding person, abuse the staff, and then either go to or threaten to go to a review site and trash the restaurant. How can we be surprised when we see that behavoir replicated in levels of our society.
One of the things that we have enjoyed in San Francisco, is the belief that when we disagree, we can still be friends. For the most part, that is still true. Unfortunately, we are not immune for those who use the Internet to abuse others.
Many would suggest that abuse on the Internet does not affect our society. I would suggest that it does. We end up accepting the types of exchanges with a level of vitriol that most of us find repugnant. We ask how can someone be bullied through an online site. It happens because we have all allowed it.
On our tour, we see how a neighborhood can bring a community together. We see how food can bring people together. The solutions to what faces us at all levels will come when we decide that how we communicate is important. For most of us, that means communicating in a respectful and uplifting manner. Every time we read about divisive communication, consider that it is continuing because the rest of us say nothing.
by sffoodie at September 6, 2011