A World Of Moderates

Kathleen Parkers’s article “Seeking Balance in an Either-Or World” discusses why it is so hard to find a reasonable spot to place your self when dealing with controversial issues. She deduces that most of modern society usually settles in the middle. They will not choose to side with one group. “Fence-straddlers” she calls them. However, this type of practice does not settle well with opinion columnists. These columnists cannot simply ride the middle route throughout I their entire article. They must pick a side.
The example Parker gives in her article to back up her argument is abortion. Like most people, she believes that abortion is something that should be frowned upon, but she cannot find a way to justify this. She believes that there could be circumstances where abortion serves as the only option. On the other hand, she believes that abortion can be prevented through effective teaching. She says that if high school students can be properly taught how to effectively use a condom, then abortion will find its place. We will be able to view the advantages and disadvantages of abortion.
As a student who has gone to Catholic schools for thirteen years, my views can relate with those of Kathleen Parker. As my views of religion switched from those of a diehard Catholic to an agnostic, I noticed my political views transfer from one of a conservative to those of more moderate views. When I was young I was taught to obey the Ten Commandments, God, and other religious aspects such as those. Along with those came the views that Gay people should not be married, and that abortion should be permanently prohibited. However, I noticed my outlook on these topics change. I started to fade away from God, gaining my own beliefs, and with that, I gained new opinions on abortion and gay marriage. This pushed me to more moderate views.
It’s the transfer of my opinions on controversial topics that make me agree with Parker. For most subjects, there are too many opinions for one to be labeled clearly on one side. These opinions also have the ability to lead to contradiction, canceling out a person’s one-sided view. She sums it up clearly when discussing her opinions on abortion. It can be inferred that she would clearly be fine if abortion became banned, however she cannot give a reason why it should be banned. I believe a person has to be completely closed off to one set of views to be completely labeled a “Democrat”, or “Republican”, for example. Because of most people’s ability to agree with somebody, and in turn, change their views, the majority of people will take a more moderate stance when it comes to debatable topics.