A Brief Black-and-White Break with Vivian Cove

Why do we tend toward divisive definitions, forced options, and an us-them mentality that lines we humans up against one another so often?

One Social Psychologist says it’s because we’re "Cognitive Misers." We like what we know better than whatever we have yet to learn. Therefore, any known fact, belief, or experience is defined in terms of "X" and "not-X." Whatever is incompatible with what we know, believe, or have done (which is "right") must be "wrong."

For example, politics. In the United States, despite many "third parties," we divide into Red or Blue, Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal. That leads to quandaries, paradoxes, dichotomies, and other dilemmas of conscience.

Here's my favorite example:

Am I pro-life? Do I oppose any termination of any pregnancy under any circumstances...and support the death penalty that is imposed unjustly in so many jurisdictions. There’s no middle-ground. Either I'm misogynistically controlling women's bodies and lives, or I'm a baby-killer. I agree to kill some innocent people in order to deter future murderers, or blue lives don’t matter.

Is there a solution? Certainly. Another friend’s allegiance to the Los Angeles Dodgers means he bleeds “Dodger blue." My team is the San Francisco Giants. We argue differences between the teams, their fans, and the cities they represent. We enjoy it. Why? We both love baseball.

Similarly, for all the us-them divisions? We’re being humans. Can we at least agree on that?

About the Images:

In full-color, wearing some her little black dress and my white dress-shirt here, our friend Vivian has a polarizing effect. To continue the magnetism analogy, those who draw near to her can be overly attracted and at times find themselves a too attached, connected, or physically in contact with her. (Not a good look for the professional photographer/model relationship.) Others, for a variety of reasons (I'm talkin' 'bout YOU, Instagram moderators!), find her appearance, posing, or lack of clothing to be repulsive, so much so that they recently deleted her account. So, please, support the work we do, the body-positive and sex-positive writing and photography that expresses a Christ-positive calling to promote scriptural truths in word and image alike. Visit her Instagram page: @vivian.cove and (if restored) @viviancove_ to show her some black-and-white love.