Jumping to Conclusions

Two years ago, as I was installing a Susan Collins sign on my lawn, a neighbor driving by stopped his car, rolled down his window and said, "Oh, so you're a Trumpie! I had no idea!" I responded that I was in favor of Senator Susan Collins, up for re-election at the time, which was completely unrelated to Donald Trump. The neighbor, a wealthy lawyer of considerable intelligence, hasn't spoken to me since.

Recently I posted a comment online saying I like and respect Nikki Haley. Immediately someone claiming to be a retiree with time on his hands who "smokes a lot of herb" wrote that I was clearly "a right-wing lunatic." A lunatic? For liking Nikki Haley? 

Then there's my ex-friend Mary, a Democrat who follows the letter of the law as spoken by Anderson Cooper on CNN, who literally freaked out when I offered her a plastic straw for her iced tea one afternoon when she was visiting. She was quite rattled, virtually screaming, "Andrea, I'm surprised at you! Don't you care about the environment?"

Jumping to conclusions, usually the wrong ones, is a popular sport these days. It must be so exhausting.