Is Your Politics One of Principles or Pettiness?
Politics brings out the worst of people; it doesn't have to
Pandemics, wars, and elections. Events elicit responses from people, as well they should. It is good when people are aware of what’s going on in the world, and it is good for people to be involved in responding to events. But involvement in current affairs and politics can be more harmful than good. We see that frequently.
It’s human nature to be self-centered. It’s common for people to be lazy thinkers, to prefer simplistic dismissals of current events over the engaging with constructive answers. My purposes here are to acknowledge how people are and to suggest how people can be.
You Have a Right to Criticize but Not to Be a Jerk
Politics is about people — all the people, not just the rich politicos and lobbyists. Everyone should have the freedom to be involved in politics and political decision making. Of course, but too often forgotten, freedom comes with responsibility.
Being able to criticize political leaders and their decisions is crucial to a just society. Everyone has the right and even a duty to speak out against what they see as wrong. But if truth and justice mean anything, and I think they do, then critical comments have to themselves be truthful and just. That includes, but isn’t limited to, being civil in one’s comments.
When people are suffering, what is a truthful and just response? To be truthful? always; to be sympathetic? definitely; and try to help? absolutely. Snark and memes are none of those. Worse are diatribes and deliberate attempts to stoke hostility. Worst of all is hijacking an event to serve your own agenda.
Some people — perhaps most people — view events in terms of their preconceived ideological notions. They may be conspiracy theorists, paranoid, simplistic thinkers, or willfully ignorant. Regardless, their politics is dominated by their desires to see what they want to see and consciously or subconsciously manipulate perceptions of events to push their agenda.
We saw that manipulation over the past few years of the COVID pandemic. People were and still are hurting; people were and still are dying. Most people helped and offered support for the truth and for those people affected by the pandemic. Alas, some people responded and still are responding instead with snark, memes, angry diatribes, conspiracy theories, and disinformation to stoke hostility.
We saw that manipulation over Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. People are hurting; people are dying. Most people are expressing solidarity with the people of Ukraine and offering support. Alas, some people still are responding instead with snark, memes, angry diatribes, conspiracy theories, and disinformation to stoke hostility.
Election season — or as some commentators insightfully call it, “silly season” — is a battleground of the worst in politics. I am old enough to remember when election campaigns were more about discussing issues and policies than about demonizing the opponents. Today, politicians aren’t trying to win your vote, they are trying to get you to fear and hate the other parties. When people in person and online do nothing but attack everyone with whom they disagree, they are aping their party leaders. Rather than take responsibility, everyone just blames the other side.
I’m not making a political point. I’m talking about people — how they are and how they behave. People who love to criticize and tear down other people act out of fear, and they find it easier to emotionally lash out than to listen and think. Those who use a pandemic, a war, a natural disaster, or any other event as a platform to score political points are engaging in disgraceful conduct.
It doesn’t matter if they are attacking those they perceive to be too “Left” or those they perceive to be too “Right.” Trying to hijack a tragedy to insert your own political ideology is absurd and disgraceful. Attacking others with disinformation is not legitimate criticism. Opposing sensible actions that would save people because you don’t like the current political leader is immoral.
Politics doesn’t have to be about the worst of humanity. Protest, yes, voice your dissent, yes, but freedom comes with responsibility.
The Point of Politics
If you have a view on current events, let’s hear it. If you have a solution to a current problem, let’s hear it. Politics is about community, and politics can work (believe it or not) when people are allowed to be involved and are willing to be involved in civil, constructive ways. It’s an idea called “deliberative democracy.” Avoiding the eggheady lingo, it basically means respectful dialogue among people, politicians listening to people, and people listening to experts, and well, a whole lot more listening than shouting.
If politics is nothing more than a blame game of scoring snarky political points to tear down others, then nothing will get done. Politics should be about constructive dialogue and constructive actions. When tragedies strike, the first response should be to help those affected. Yes, a long-term response includes stopping the cause, but assessing causes and making corrections to avoid recurrence of tragedy is for the postmortem — necessary but subsequent.
There is no place in constructive politics for those people repeating silly talking points that are relevant only to their personal political hatreds. People put on TV shows and podcasts with the main purpose of manipulating every event and turning it into an attack on perceived political enemies. Again, criticism is healthy for an open society, but when attacking perceived enemies is more important than truth, justice, and solving problems, then society is less open.
The bottom-line question is this: is your politics based on principles or pettiness? Are you actively working to make positive change in the world or are you just trying to make yourself feel better by tearing down other people? We need real dialogue on substantive issues, not self-serving rhetoric. There is already too much partisan sniping and issue avoidance; it is really not needed when tragedy and crisis strike.