Black, White, and Grey (Gray?)

Black and white sells.

Democrat or Republican. Pro-Life or Pro-Choice. Christian or Catholic or Muslim or Buddhist or Atheist.

Right or wrong.

Everyone understands black and white. Wait. Clarification. Everyone can instantaneously relate to black and white. It feels good to have an "us" and a "them". When you think about it, that's all the marketing really is. "Us" is the group "you" are a part of, and "them" is happier than "us" so you should buy the shit that "them" has because it will make you happier.

It hurts to even try to read that last sentence, but I know that it makes sense.

Black and white sells and spurs people into action and is how politicians gain voters and ministers gain followers and parents try to convince their kids that they're not mature or wise enough to know what's best for them.

But black and white is not reality.

There are so many shades of grey, levels of nuance, complications, points of view, frames of reference, varying starting points, personal prejudices, ulterior motives...

I hope I can be there to provide a starting point for Chase, give him an educated guess as to how I think things will play out, offer him advice based on my own personal experience...

But I also hope that if there comes a time when I can't do that for him that I'll have raised him well enough that I can trust his own thoughts and his own judgment.

Black and white sells, but grey is what I'm buying...