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When work me is off duty, I’m often guilty of assuming people I know share similar views. Never assume. My Vietnamese friend made me dinner, and I was hanging out with his friends who’ve I’ve gotten to know. We’ve never talked politics but the election came up.
Another Vietnamese guy I’ve gotten to know, says he hopes Biden doesn’t win. So work Chey was activated! I started asking questions and he talked for nearly 40 mins. He’s 36 so a year younger than the urban group of Gen X and Xennials
that I’m tracking this election due to their surprising support of Trump. Just as I think the under 45 group in Texas could flip the state blue, I think Minnesota could flip red due to this group specifically. I’ll do my best to share
his thoughts though I think he could do it better. First he talked about immigration and how his family went through the proper hoops and a six month waiting period. He sees immigrants today not following proper procedure and the vetting process not being as
robust as it once was. A common theme I’ve been hearing from 1st and 2nd generation immigrants.
Law and order: He has friends who are Mpls cops who were in investigative roles who now have to suit up and do patrol work due to being short staffed.
Law and order: He has friends who are Mpls cops who were in investigative roles who now have to suit up and do patrol work due to being short staffed.
He grew up with one of the cops in the George Floyd killing...and he’s seen a sharp rise in crime in his neighborhood and a rise in reckless street racing. Says even though he used to be a racer, the type of racing now is very dangerous and needs to be stopped. He lost his good
paying tech job back when the pandemic hit and is still unemployed. I asked him what level of college he has? Turns out he fits my profile of this group. Little or no college education. Very smart accomplished guy, and fixes performance engines on the side.
He also had some criticism of Lisa Bender and other city leaders for saying things while the world spotlight was on Mpls without considering the consequences and how it would impact the city. Then the conversation turned to me, and everyone wanted to know who I was voting for.
It’s funny, I’m not used to being asked! I explained why even though I’ve voted across party lines my whole life I can’t vote for Trump and why. He nodded and listened and I could tell he agreed with some of my points. But would he have listened, had I not first listened? Maybe.
Regardless what happens we must not lose our civility towards each other. And remember, if you want to have some or any influence on others? First you need to listen to them. It’s a show of respect. If they feel respected, they will be more likely to at least hear what you have
to say. Will he vote Biden? No. His vote has already been cast for Trump. But respect has been established so dialog can continue. Which is something we need to keep in mind as we go forward. To accomplish anything, we will have to work with those who may not see things as we do
