Sounds good to me, Ed! This thing called "democracy" is a tricky experiment that is relatively new to mankind. So far, we Americans have been fortunate and able to control the worst of our negative tendencies, with very few exceptions. We seem to come together in times of war or natural disasters, but politics tends to be the great divider...especially when fanned on by disinformation, inflexible religious beliefs and local cultural norms (to name a few). No matter the results of the 2024 election, we have to reclaim decency, patience, empathy and tolerance for those who believe differently than we as individuals. That may not happen overnight, but the alternative, as you say, is unacceptable.
Enjoyed your thoughts on this very unsettling social problem. I'm old enough that I remember when you could disagree with someone without calling them names. I too have wondered how we have gotten so abusive in our disagreements with others. What has made us so angry that we have to blast those who disagree with us with abusive language or out-and-out lies. Is this related to the decrease in out attention spans we hear so much about? Is is related to what I suspect is the lack of teaching in schools of what persuasion is, Aristotle style. Or the teaching of argument? Or is it the result of very angry people who see no way to solve their problems?
I always thought that I and most Americans were good at judging other people's character and intelligence by observing and listening to them. The presidential debates were very telling. I think that in a perfect world, voters should be forced to watch at least one or two of the candidate's rallies...side by side...from beginning to end. The biased news networks seem to cherry-pick and broadcast the best of their favored candidates' words and the worst of the opposing candidates.
Sounds good to me, Ed! This thing called "democracy" is a tricky experiment that is relatively new to mankind. So far, we Americans have been fortunate and able to control the worst of our negative tendencies, with very few exceptions. We seem to come together in times of war or natural disasters, but politics tends to be the great divider...especially when fanned on by disinformation, inflexible religious beliefs and local cultural norms (to name a few). No matter the results of the 2024 election, we have to reclaim decency, patience, empathy and tolerance for those who believe differently than we as individuals. That may not happen overnight, but the alternative, as you say, is unacceptable.
I will be very happy when the election is over! The ugly rants and locker room talk has gotten old.
Good thought from a level-headed writer. Maybe we should add his name to some political position. Oh no, that might tun his head.
Enjoyed your thoughts on this very unsettling social problem. I'm old enough that I remember when you could disagree with someone without calling them names. I too have wondered how we have gotten so abusive in our disagreements with others. What has made us so angry that we have to blast those who disagree with us with abusive language or out-and-out lies. Is this related to the decrease in out attention spans we hear so much about? Is is related to what I suspect is the lack of teaching in schools of what persuasion is, Aristotle style. Or the teaching of argument? Or is it the result of very angry people who see no way to solve their problems?
I always thought that I and most Americans were good at judging other people's character and intelligence by observing and listening to them. The presidential debates were very telling. I think that in a perfect world, voters should be forced to watch at least one or two of the candidate's rallies...side by side...from beginning to end. The biased news networks seem to cherry-pick and broadcast the best of their favored candidates' words and the worst of the opposing candidates.