Soapbox Stance

At work today, I had an interesting non-exchange with a co-worker. He handed me an article to read (never mind that this week I'm working two jobs and therefore have twice as many deadlines to meet during the day) and when I didn't jump to read it immediately, he told me the gist of it, along with his editorial remarks on the subject. The gist of it was that he believed in racial profiling. I don't. So I didn't say anything at all and went back to work. Two seconds later, he sent me an instant message with the gist of what he had to say on the article again. Perhaps he thought I didn't understand the verbalization of his opinion and that I needed in writing. I ignored the IM.

Now, my thinking was, we didn't agree at all on the subject and I didn't have the time or passion to argue with him. Especially at 9 in the morning when I was still recovering from having company the night before. Later on, I felt somewhat guilty for remaining absolutely quiet. Some people would argue that I have a right to my opinion, just as he does, and I have every right to speak it. I think that's true to an extent. But I didn't see the point of debating the subject at all since we were clearly at polar opposites and we'd only end up agreeing to disagree.

My one regret is that I didn't say politely to him, "I don't agree with you and let's leave it at that." My gut feeling though is that he'd try to engage me in conversation further on the matter and clearly, once again, it'd be like beating my head on a brick-wall, which, given that I'm working two jobs right now, I don't have time to be doing. So my main dilemma is whether I was rude by my complete silence on the subject. I think he even saw me toss the article in the trash, even though I didn't mean to be overt about it.

Eh, an evil part of me wanted me to remind this guy who is so proud of his family's support for McGovern way back when that racial profiling is more of a conservative viewpoint than liberal. Now that would have made him mad for sure!

Links of the day: Bush and Blair keep howling about Saddam as well as an editorial from The Nation: An Error of Supreme Dimensions