As I sort through what’s most current in our conversation, I keep coming back to all the shouting going on. Truth is, I’m not all that fond of it. Someone, somewhere, says something seemingly foolish, and we are tempted to do primarily three things in response:
- Say something foolish back
- Lambaste an entire people group
- Attempt to squelch the speaker
I suppose, at times, we do all three.
With “the Donald” dominating the news flow, many have justified the disrespect right back… what an idiot… how stupid his supporters… he’s doing so much damage; someone please shut him up…
I get it. We want to stop the foolish speech. We don’t want to hear it anymore. We go so far to even question the embedded freedoms of the First Amendment. I thus sense an arrogance that disturbs me… in Trump… and in us.
It’s just that we are so good at thinking we are right. And when we think we’re right, we justify the screaming at others. We justify lambasting people groups. We justify not listening. And we subconsciously justify never being sharpened by different opinion. We have forgotten the good that can come from different opinion.
Let’s be clear: Trump’s idea of banning all Muslims conflicts with the religious freedoms also constitutionally embedded in this country. Trump’s perceived, specific, overly non-compassionate-toward-Muslims approach to dealing with the terrorists isn’t striking because it’s a popular idea; rather, it’s striking because it’s a direct contrast to Pres. Obama’s perceived, non-specific, overly compassionate-toward-Muslims approach. Trump tells us what new we need to do. Obama tells us what he’s already doing. (Ugh. Sigh. Fill in your exasperated uttering here.) My point is that neither approach seems effective. And yet, we jump on bandwagons, saying something foolish back, lambasting entire people groups, and eagerly wishing somebody would please shut up.
I tend to agree with a recent Washington Post editorial shared by a wise friend…
“…I am just as concerned about the destructive tone of the Trump campaign as I am about its demagogic content. How can you hear what someone else is saying, no matter how important, when you’re shouting? How can you bring people into a constructive search for solutions to our national problems when you do nothing but belittle them, and even suggest they are stupid, weak or corrupt?
A truly free society, one that gives its citizens the responsibility of participation, can function only to the extent there is civil discourse. We can engage in a mutual search for solutions only to the extent that we agree a problem exists. That can never happen unless we talk to each other, listen to each other and respect the fact that honorable people can reach different conclusions. When that sense of comity is missing, we are at risk.”
Friends, we are at risk. Most of us justify both the shouting and not listening to one another because we say “the other guy did it first.” It’s like which person chose not to listen first: then Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, when he said his “single most important” goal was to stop Obama — or Obama, who pursued healthcare without working with a single Republican legislator? Tell me, truthfully: who’s the better listener and respecter of different opinion?
So I say it again: we are at risk. We are at risk because our leadership does not practice nor model civil, respectful discourse and solution. Do I blame Trump? No. While I’m no fan, I simply see him as the current most magnified manifestation of our lack of willingness to pursue a constructive, respectful search for solution.
I continue to wish for something better and more.
Respectfully…
AR