Difference of Opinion

I'm very concerned about something my granddaughter posted on Facebook.  She threatened to unfriend anyone who opposed her personal views of the Baltimore riots and I was floored.  How can an extremely intelligent person refuse to accept that others might not have the same views or beliefs that she has?  How can that same intelligent person be so closed minded?

It isn't the "unfriending" that bothers me as much as seeing someone I love closing herself off so adamantly to alternate points of view.  Isn't it an inalienable right to be able to express your beliefs in this country?  We are fighting to keep our right to free speech in this ever changing world because we know that without it we will begin to lose more civil rights.

I have many friends who don't see the world as I do but I respect their differences of opinion and their right to hold them.  When a young lady who has the ability to be a leader in this world turns her back on those with opposing views, it becomes scary.  How many more potential leaders feel like this?

I didn't respond to her post because I love her.  I did post my own views which differ very much from hers.  My firm belief is that nothing can ever be solved by rioting, destruction, and violence.  I think we should look to Martin Luther King who, without violence, managed to better the lives of black people in this country and the U.S.  I remember seeing the huge masses of people marching with Martin Luther King and realizing how powerful his message was.  He taught, without violence, and people who had been racist began to listen and agree.

It goes without saying that most of the Baltimore rioters care nothing for the reasons of the riots.  Many are using it as an excuse to loot and destroy.  We should be paying more attention to the Baltimore citizens (black, white, or whatever) who don't want their city destroyed in this way.  I saw a video of a mother who was shocked to see her son throwing rocks at the police and took it upon herself to publicly discipline him.  She will not accept her son committing a crime and I applaud her for that.  He will become a better person for it, too.

In the end, some will agree with me and some won't.  I will respect their opinions as I hope they will respect mine and my right to state them.