If you’ve been banished to Middle Earth for the past several years (in which case I envy you), you may not have noticed that our political discourse has become poisoned.
That’s an extreme description, and unfortunately an accurate one. More and more, it seems you can only discuss politics with someone who agrees with you. If they don’t share your views, the conversation will turn ugly very quickly.
There are those who would be quick to blame Trump for this, but the truth is that things have been veering in that direction for decades—since Nixon, probably. There was a brief respite during the Reagan years, since he was too charming and too popular for many people to attack viciously.
The gloves came off with the election of Clinton. For eight years, I listened to my right-wing acquaintances characterize him as a “pot-smoking, draft-dodging son of a bitch.” This was followed by eight years of questioning George W. Bush’s intelligence. The situation has been propelled into hyperspace by the current president’s combative style.
It’s Not About Trump: It’s About You
The intent here is neither to criticize or defend Trump.
It doesn’t matter what your opinions are. I have my own, just as you do. I don’t think I’m “right” or that you are “wrong.” My opinions are formed through extensive reading and research, and hopefully that’s true on your end. If not, you’re still entitled to them, and you don’t need me to tell you that.
In the meantime, the debate rages. Friends are abandoning each other, families refuse to eat Thanksgiving dinner together, and lovers are estranged. How do we stop the madness?
The Dangers Of Cheap Speech
If you haven’t studied the litigation surrounding the First Amendment, you may have a distorted concept of what it means.
Yes, you can say anything you want, but you are accountable for it. If you yell “fire” in a crowded theater, you can be arrested. If you infringe on national security, you can be imprisoned.
And if you act like an intolerant asshole, you incur karmic debt. In the digital age, comments simply don’t go away.
No, this isn’t a Rodney King plea for all of us to just get along. It’s an entreaty to consider the consequences of your actions.
How Exactly Does Cheap Speech Hurt You?
Ah, but I hear you saying: The world is coming to an end, the sky is falling, and it’s my duty to warn others; I’m the modern equivalent of Paul Revere. But even on Facebook, perhaps the most vicious and polluted forum you can find, there are dangers.
A few months back, I had a dialogue with a friend who was spewing anti-Trump tirades on social media. This gentleman is in sales, and I pointed out to him the difference between personal beliefs and professional conduct: Did he really want to sell his wares only to the 50% of the public who agreed with him? To his credit, he eventually came to his senses.
Even more recently, I cancelled my membership in a national organization of journalists and writers. I won’t name the group, but its leadership had been hijacked by a small group of people with extreme political beliefs. These folks were using the organization as a megaphone to promote their agenda, and they were stifling anyone who disagreed with them. It doesn’t matter what their beliefs were. I had to point out to them that they weren’t entitled to speak for others: this wasn’t a labor union, where members were forced to pay dues and the bosses could make political statements for them.
Here’s what’s scary: all these people are intelligent.
How Do We Break The Cycle?
Let’s start by facing facts and putting responsibility where it belongs. Say you believe the current president is destroying the fabric of civilization. Why not blame his opponent, who refused to campaign in Pennsylvania and Michigan because she took those states for granted (despite being warned by both her husband and officials in her campaign).
Why not volunteer for a political campaign? Stuff envelopes, make phone calls or ring doorbells, rather than sit on the couch and issue diatribes on Facebook. It’s more effort, but it’s also more effective.
If you’re pissed off that a candidate you hate won the election, taking it out on your neighbor won’t make things better.
Go forth and be part of the solution.
