When the Personal Gets Political

Here's why I decided to start sharing the columns I can't publish in my daily newspaper.

Photo by Cindy La Ferle / The Henry Ford, Dearborn, MI

When I began my journalism career 40 years ago, I never imagined I’d be writing about politics. At the time, I never imagined someone like Donald Trump would be running the country, either.

A local reporter, I wrote the “soft” stories that appeared in the lifestyles or entertainment sections of my local newspaper and regional magazines. I interviewed psychologists, authors, circus performers, psychics, parenting experts, actors, magicians, shop owners, funeral directors, teachers, chefs and interior designers. I reviewed books, restaurants, plays and musicals.

I jumped at the chance when one of my editors asked me to write a personal weekly column focused on home and family issues. It was a dream assignment, giving me the rare opportunity to share my insights as a working mom — and I won a statewide press award for it.

But I avoided sharing my political views then. At a local event I was covering, the mayor of my city told me that he was a fan of my Sunday columns. He praised me for staying out of politics. “It’s good to keep your nose clean, Cindy,” he said.

A writer’s dilemma

I had started my own “Life Lines” blog by the time Donald Trump won his first presidential term. Along with COVID-19, Trump’s shadow hovered over everything like a Dickensian phantom. His ongoing rants and rampages would darken conversations with my husband and our friends. Chopping vegetables in the kitchen, I’d hear Trump’s grating voice on the evening news — usually demonizing or threatening folks who disagreed with him. Folks like me.

By that time, the political had become personal. Suddenly, Trump was turning everything upside down, shaking the very foundations of all I’d believed to be true. I loved my country, and wondered what was happening to it.

I was impossibly angry after second Trump’s inauguration this year. I struggled each day to reconnect with my positive spirit. Not surprisingly, I had allowed my anger and stress to taint my daily “Life Lines” posts, which had typically focused on beautiful discoveries, photos, and inspirational quotes. A few of my readers were unhappy with my political opinions. As one wrote: “I liked your blog better when you didn’t share your liberal views, so I’m cancelling my subscription.”

So I struggled with the dilemma: Where could I share my political opinions? My local daily newspapers would gladly publish my pieces on home and family issues — but not politics.

Why we must speak our truth

After so many years of writing for local and national newspapers, I’ve learned to expect criticism. If you put yourself out there, some readers will take aim at you. But I don’t write because I want people to like me or agree with me. I write because I want to share what I’m thinking or how I’m experiencing real life at the moment.

Freedom of speech is everything to me, which means I must also welcome the expression of opposing viewpoints. I owe my readers the same courtesy they show me when they take the time to read my work. If only certain people are allowed to express their ideas about certain topics, well, there is no such thing as free speech. (That’s why I cancelled my subscription to The Washington Post earlier this year.)

Freedom isn’t always a soft landing. It’s hard work — and sometimes requires hard choices.

It concerns me that so many of us refuse to discuss politics with others outside our own tribe. We don’t feel safe with each other now. Whenever a person insists that they’d “rather not talk about politics,” I’m pretty sure it’s because they’re not in my political camp or they have different views on the topic at hand. Kicking the tough topics under a rug might work for some — but not for me. I find it hard to fully understand or deeply connect with a person who refuses to open up and discuss the big issues. I want to know what you’ve read, where you get your information, what drives you to believe what you believe.

I’m reminded of a thoughtful post by life coach and author, Cheryl Richardson, which she published right after the election in November. Richardson was criticized (as I was) when she expressed her political views in one of her posts. Several readers told her, in so many words, to keep her politics to herself.

I admired Richardson’s response: “We can’t heal what we choose to hide,” she wrote in her post. “I grew up during a time when families never talked about religion or politics. Those days are over. The issues facing our country aren’t just political. They’re existential. We need to face the truth together and talk things through.”

Silence won’t bring us closer, mend the divide, or inspire change for the better. I hope that what I share on Substack will help you feel validated and less alone. And that’s why I’m here. ~ Cindy La Ferle

You’ll find more columns like this on my Substack home page. If you enjoyed this column, please help me build my readership here — restack it, like it, and share it with your friends. Thank you!