(Below is a partial quote from the movie “The American President,” 1995. Written by Aaron Sorkin.)

“America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, ‘You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.”

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_American_President

I’ll “dumb this down.” Have the depth and decency to allow that others may disagree with you and accept that they may feel just as passionate about their opinions as you do about yours.

Rule of Thumb: If your goal is to effect real change while respecting the opinions of others; steam on. If your goal is to make your point on TV through violence or to get your “15 minutes of Fame,” please do us the courtesy of at least carrying pocket change.