Donald J. Who? Letting it go and starting all over again…
Now that THAT’s over, maybe we can all take a step back, cool the rhetoric, and just soothe the vitriol. We might even do one of those post-mortem deep-dives that corporate America does, euphemistically entitled Lessons Learned or, the Take Away.
Many people, pundits and citizens alike, have observed that the country is nearly as divisive as it was 150 years ago, at the end of the Civil War. In an effort to do my part, I am humbly putting forward three new rules to live by for the nation’s suggestion box, as our elected officials begin to sort out what will happen next.
1. Leaving people with the belief that they don’t matter, or that what is dear to their heart doesn’t count, never ends well. It only makes for hurt feelings, a scarcity mindset and a burning resentment towards those suspected of playing for the opposition.
2. Vilifying people is also ill advised. There has been more than enough vitriole to go around. Much to the glee of the mainstream media, as well as social media, the last four years capitalized on this finger-pointing, name calling approach. Rather than airing our grievances to generate a discussion about what’s going on, the opposite has occurred instead, with echo chambers and silos festering bad vibes. It has become too painful to disagree. Instread, we are now mostly surrounded by sparks of outrage, rivers of anxiety and just plain old despair.
3. One of the great joys of the American experiment is that we have the liberty to disagree. That’s what makes it exciting, vigorous and rarely dull. But with that liberty, there also comes responsibility. It might be worth taking a step back to re-observe some unspoken truths.
- YOU CATCH MORE flies with honey than you do with vinegar. That’s just a fact.
- EVERYONE NEEDS to feel appreciated. I’m just saying.
- EQUAL IS EQUAL. So let’s get with the program and have a system which treats each other thus.
- SPEAKING IN CODE, by using someone’s name to infer something else, is not really helpful. Not everyone is current on the latest jargon, be it Becky or Karen or Bevis or Butthead, so let’s use the language we’ve been given. If something is misogynist, or racist, or elitist, or malevolent or toxic, there are words for that.
As for the name in the title of this piece, removing that person from the conversation as soon as possible, once the impeachment trial is over, might be a good idea. At least for a little while.
Last time, by which I mean 150 years ago, America didn’t do so well with putting wrongs to right. In fact, it lay the ground for such noxious aspects of American history, that all of us, whether we acknowledge it or not, are still navigating the trauma that hatred and resentment made manifest in our country. And, to end this pandemic, to realize social and economic justice, we’ll need to come together. Calling In the Calling Out Culture is a good place to start.
https://lorettajross.com/online-courses
Professor Loretta J. Ross teaches a course online which strives to do just that. Last night, I was one of 600 people in attendance. We have so far to go, but with one another’s help, maybe this country will get there.
As for starting over again? Please, god. It is my humble prayer that we’ll do better do this time. Mask up! Amen.
