I have often wondered why people are so insistent to prematurely assume that there are only two sides to any issue. Is it a reflection of our obsession with team sports, the nominal two party political system, or the assumption that you have to choose up to be on "side", just like a grade school play ground? Is it the need to quuicly categorize someone as a friend or foe? This sort of mentality leads to questions such as:
Are you a Democrat or a Republican?
Are you for the White Sox or the Cubs?
Are you for or against Gay Marriage?
Are you with me or against me?
These overt or implied forced choice inquiries fail to allow other viewpoints as viable choices. This mentality frequently forces people into a public declaration of opinion, short-circuiting more deliberative decision -making. Subtlety, nuance, and incremental thought processes are lost. You have to choose before you can think. This removes the incremental steps of a dichotomy.
We often hear the adages "think before you act" or "stop, look and listen" before you cross the street. Maybe we should add "think before you decide".
