Americans Who Don’t Hate Each Other
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Americans Who Don’t Hate Each Other (AWDHEO) is how unremarkable its title is. The name certainly resonates because, in contemporary America, so many people do hate each other. But, this makes the creation of a space specifically designated for those who don’t hate each other a very plain and natural undertaking.
A few decades ago, there was no cultural context for a project like AWDHEO. Obviously, there were Americans who held resentments for other Americans, namely those based on traditional markers such as race, gender, class, religion and sexuality.
But, it wasn’t like 21st-century America, where these resentments are now subsumed under wider political and cultural hatreds. Where there is a generalized, tribalized animosity in the air and on our screens that filters into every part of life. Where hating our fellow Americans has become normalized.
What AWDHEO seeks is to ignite a movement that will destroy this norm.
Should be simple enough, right? A blog that no one has heard of, written by a blogger that no one has heard of, becoming a launchpad for social transformation?
Well, let’s make the introduction….
Greetings, world! I’m Jeff Gebeau, the obscure blogger and would-be-revolutionary in question.
Ok, I’m not totally unknown. I had a short career in journalism during which I wrote for several local news outlets. And I’ve also written for a few minor websites.
Still, within the universe of published writers, I’m plankton. You need a search engine to find the tiny presence that I’ve established in the writing world, and it won’t take you long to cover it all.
And now? These days, I’m an anonymous store manager. An everyman. A nobody.
So, why should anyone—let alone everyone—listen to my thoughts about a topic as massive as curing our national case of mutual fear and loathing?
Well, if an everyman or a nobody genuinely had the answer to, say, the climate issue, everyone would agree that we should listen to that person, right? I mean, we would understand that this is a person with critical insights whose thoughts we should hear.
I don’t have the answer to the climate issue. But, I believe I have some ideas that, if followed, would help us, as a unified nation, to resolve it, along with pretty much every other issue we face. Further, I can explain why this kind of problem-solving isn’t happening in our federal, state and local governments right now. Plus, I can tell you why lots of Americans do hate each other.
In fact, I wrote a book about it:
The Anti-Partisan Manifesto: How Parties and Partisanism Divide America and How to Shut Them Down (2024)
Full disclosure: AWDHEO has an additional purpose: to promote The Anti-Partisan Manifesto, which will be published later this year. I’ll have more to say about that as the release date approaches.
But, I want to return to the site’s first mission, launching a movement that depolarizes the country. An endeavor of this proportion requires more than just a lone scribe.
As it says on the welcome page, AWDHEO aspires to be “the voice of those who refuse to let politics take their humanity.” It’s intended to become a forum for this nascent community, though all are welcome (even partisans). In sum, my voice is not the only one meant to be featured.
With this in mind, AWDHEO embraces guest and reader submissions. Obviously, anything published on this site will have to reflect the site’s values. But, as long as your post is consistent with these principles, please be encouraged to share it. Direct your proposals or submissions to antipartisanamerica@gmail.com or reach out to me directly through the site. Also feel encouraged to send questions, comments and other feedback.
Why You Should Subscribe to AWDHEO
Being on the vanguard of the revolution of normies isn’t reason enough?
What about the fact that it offers a strikingly unique perspective? Seriously, there are countless voices and platforms out there that bombard you, explicitly or implicitly, with the message that hating the other side is actually quite justifiable. So, to borrow a quote from The Anti-Partisan Manifesto, the message of AWDHEO “carries a ray of hope because, in a bleak wasteland of more-of-the-same, it actually says something different.”
Ok, but I still have to put up something tangible. Alright, how about I throw in 100% free content? This will consist of a weekly post on Tuesdays, plus some extras now and then.
I mean it. I have no plans to put any of my entries behind a paywall anytime soon. The message is too important.
That being said, once AWDHEO launches, if you opt to voluntarily donate, your support will be gratefully accepted. Even normie revolutions have expenses. Your contributions can help defray them some.
