By: Alora E. Peters, Arts and Culture Editor
Unfortunately, it is pretty obvious to almost anyone that the realm of politics is a realm where kindness, moral decency, and a basic sense of propriety are frequently thrown out the door and trampled on.
Especially in today’s age of instantaneous and immortal information, it is far from difficult to find an abundance of instances when politicians and their dedicated followers act in ways that would make our forefathers cringe. Only a few examples need suffice.
Before her election in Nov. 2018, Democrat Representative London Lamar of Tennessee attacked the Republican voter base of her state, calling “[m]ost of the Tennesseans who voted Republican[…] uneducated” and the state itself “racist.”
In March of 2019, attendees at a Republican rally broke into chants of “A.O.C. sucks!” criticizing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat Representative in New York.
In early Feb. of 2020, after President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address to the nation, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi promptly tore apart her copy of the speech on live television.
Only a few months later, Trump would fire right back at Pelosi, writing on Twitter that, “Nervous Nancy is an inherently ‘dumb’ person.”
The list goes on and on. The antics just get worse and worse. And, unfortunately, it is not only politicians and public figures who are guilty.
In July, a poll from the Cato Institute revealed that 50 percent of Americans who identify as “strong liberals” would support “firing executives who personally donated to Trump.” Of American voters who identified as “strong conservatives,” 36 percent would “support firing an executive for donating to Biden’s presidential campaign.”
Can Democrats and Republicans be… friends? (Photo Credit: Blogspot)
These numbers are especially high among young adults, those under 30 years old. Of those who identify as liberals, 44 percent agree that executives who financially support Trump should be fired.
This growing prevalence of “Cancel Culture” reaffirms the fact that our country is more divided than ever, that the current political ideologies could hardly be more opposed to one another, and that most people are not being very nice about it.
Aside from being the prelude to election season, October is also popularly known as Respect Life Month. While Respect Life Month is traditionally aimed at securing basic human rights, love, and acknowledgment for marginalized groups like unborn children, the disabled, and the elderly, it is also a fitting time to remember to respect the lives of those with whom we disagree.
It is perhaps more important now than ever before for those of differing political opinions, beliefs, and parties to work towards overcoming their bitter resentment and hatred of each other and start building a Culture of Respect.
One practical way to do this is to encourage peaceful dialogue between opposing parties. Oftentimes, especially on social media platforms, political debates easily morph into political rants or even verbal attacks. Saying things like, “Trump is a white supremacist and a tyrant!” or “Biden is a pedophile and a loony!” and “Unfriend me right now if you support the wrong candidate!” will accomplish nothing but further spread the division. It certainly will not encourage others to look at an issue from a different point of view.
Combating the virulent Cancel Culture through dialogue is a crucial step towards healing political division. Throwing out opinions we do not agree with is not only disrespectful, it can quickly become dangerous.
The aforementioned study from Cato found that 32 percent of employed Americans are “worried about missing out on career opportunities or losing their job[s]if their political opinions [become]known.” This is a large percentage in a country where the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, and the right to peaceably assemble are guaranteed by the government’s founding documents.
Many of the world’s greatest thinkers and writers have acknowledged the importance of hearing both sides of an opinion. In his theological masterpiece, “Summa Theologiae,” Saint Thomas Aquinas addresses various tenets of the Catholic Faith by first bringing up any popular counterarguments. Similarly, the Greek philosopher Plato constructed his arguments through long debates, where each character would voice a different opinion, in his classic “Republic.”
In his political essay, “On Liberty,” John Stuart Mill writes that knowing and understanding opposing opinions is the best—and only—way to truly understand and defend our own opinions.
Finally, it is of utmost importance to realize that our political opponents—whether they be Republicans, Democrats, Independents, or all of the above—are human beings, too. They have hopes, dreams, and fears. They have homes, histories, families, and loved ones. They are our professors, our fellow students, our co-workers, and our neighbors.
They can be cruel and illogical. They can make horrible mistakes. But they can also learn to overcome those mistakes.
At Saint Leo University, our core value of Community gives us the mission to “foster a spirit of belonging, unity, and interdependence…” and to “challenge all of us to listen, to learn, to change, and to serve.”
The message that Jesus Christ taught in the Gospels is just as challenging to accept now as it was over 2,000 years ago, but this message is no less important: “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”
In closing, please be kind and patient this election season.
