What is your idea of what we're being distracted from?

I’m asking because I think a lot of what is happening in our world right now is being orchestrated as a distraction from pressing concerns.

The American President’s railing against football players who do not stand for the national anthem appears like a distraction to me. Personally, I think it’s to distract us from the investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia and that collusion, which was quite probably illegal.

But you might think it’s meant to distract us from something else. What do you think? Do you think we’re being distracted so we won’t notice the dismantling of the EPA or the selling of our national parklands? Is it something else?

At the base, what do you think is vitally important that we’re not paying enough attention to? Let’s have a conversation. The topics are likely to be controversial, so let’s keep it civil.

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For me, I believe the most vitally important topic in the world right now is bigotry/hate. It’s visible in so many areas. There was an election in Germany in which the right wing gained seats campaigning against the growing number of refugees from the Middle East. It’s plain xenophobia, a form of bigotry/hate.

The march in Charlottesville highlighted the bigotry/hate here in the US. My father was astonished to see Nazis marching in this country.

Being a gay man, my friends and I have been victims of bigotry/hate. I know what it feels like first-hand.

However, I have hope. We are now talking about bigotry/hate in ways that we have never talked about it before. It is being called out in ways that haven’t been done in the past. I am hopeful that we have a real opportunity to decrease the amount of bigotry/hate. I grew up going to segregated schools, so I know it’s possible to reduce bigotry/hate by changing social policies.