Friday, July 29, 2016

Has America changed or do Americans still believe in humility and gentleness and civility at the end of the day?

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks in politics. The DNC just finished wrapping up an astounding convention by nominating the first woman for President of the United States. I listened to incredible speeches made by Michelle Obama, President Obama, Bill Clinton, and Hillary herself. I listened to republicans like Michael Bloomberg take Donald Trump to task. It was all fascinating.

I talked about this in brief with my friend, James, who sent me the picture below.
My response was to say, "Funny cartoon, but I (of course you know this) am very excited by my democratic nominee. So it's not vomit or poop to me. I sent her money. 🙂 But I know you feel very differently (and respect that). I've watched the DNC the last three days. Michelle and Barack and Bill knocked it out of the park." To which James responded with another picture:
And I wonder if he's right. David Brooks, the conservative opinion columnist for The New York Times, wrote yesterday that "It could be that in this moment of fear, cynicism, anxiety and extreme pessimism, many voters may have decided that civility is a surrender to a rigged system, that optimism is the opiate of the idiots and that humility and gentleness are simply surrendering to the butchers of ISIS. If that's the case, then the throes of a completely new birth are upon us...if that's true it's not just politics that has changed, but the country."

So yeah, I guess I'm wondering if the country has changed. I guess we won't know until the November election but I hope that humility and gentleness and civility are still the things that Americans will embrace at the end of the day instead of fear. 

8 comments:

  1. Yes, the country has changed, but it has nothing to do with not believing in humility, gentleness, and civility. We never believed in those things. The change is that privileged white men are being "asked" to give up their privilege in the name of equality, and they can't deal with that. The only people who scream and rail against equality are those with an unfair advantage, and that's what you're now watching.

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    1. Except that's a gross simplification. White people were complaining about losing their rights at the end of the Civil War, and it's been one of the running dialogues of the country ever since, including the right of black people to be treated equally. We somehow convinced ourselves that this struggle was invented in the 1960s, and then maybe only in recent years...And it's ridiculous, it really is. But if we're being honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we've all been complicit in a system that actively encourages inequality. Anyone who suggests otherwise is being disingenuous, and will likely try selling you a bridge next. Don't focus on the rhetoric. The rhetoric is the least important part of the message. I don't care what you personally believe or who you're supporting in this election. Just don't allow yourself to be tricked by words alone. Look at things as they really are, not as someone else reports it. And just try and be a good person, okay?

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    2. Sure, I was stating it simply, because I don't have time nor inclination to write some long-winded political statement. Put simply, though, that is what it's all about. Because the 1%, at least in the US, is pretty much filled with white privilege.

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  2. Even if Hillary wins there needs to be a seismic shift in Congress or we'll have more gridlock.

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  3. The system itself is gridlocked but that doesn't mean the election isn't important. Trump's penchant for off the cuff remarks alone would be catastrophic for the US economy. Imagine if President Trump repeated his comment that the United States was only going to pay $.80 on the dollar of its outstanding debts. The Dow would lose 2000 points in a day and put people out of work.

    You can't allow a loose cannon to be president without creating massive casualties, most of them self-inflicted. That's why every Republican of merit is running away from him as they don't want to be associated with the mess. I'm not a Hillary fan either but she's definitely the better choice and it's important she wins over Trump.

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  4. I've heard all this before. In 1968 Richard Nixon claimed to have a "Secret Plan" to end the Vietnam War. Like Trump, he refused to reveal how he intended to do anything. In fact, Nixon had no plan. He accepted terms to end the war four years later on terms he could have gotten in '68. Thousands of American soldiers died needlessly. Trump has no plans to accomplish anything, only empty rhetoric. He's never gone out of his way to help anyone other than himself. November 8th is my birthday and the only gift I want is Hillary Clinton.

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  5. I can't wait until the election is over. The only bad part about that is it would be closer to winter.

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  6. Fear is always a choice. It's going to depend on whether people choose fear or not. I'm choosing optimism.

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