Last night a reponse to one of my posts lit up a bulb for me. Or re-lit it, really. It reminded me that the conflict that makes politics and progress so hard really isn't about Republican v Democrat or Right v Left. It goes deeper than that. It's really about...well, read here so I don't repeat myself. What do you think?
You're getting there. Asking if we can have politics that is tough, respectful and honest--that's a great question. But what has been most missing since the Obama electoral victory is the "tough."
ReplyDeleteThe President acts as if he wants everybody to love him. He acts as if he wants every decision to be bi-partisan. He acts as if he has no power to press the most conservative in his own party to toe the line.
Don't fall into the same trap.
That trap cost us any chance at meaningful health care/health insurance reform in our lifetime.
And in losing that, also cost us momentum in any progress toward reforming the financial system ('If you're too big to fail, you're too big!" Re-enact Glass-Steagull! Break up the giant banks/brokerages/insurers!)
And meaningful action on good "green" jobs.
And, and, and.. . .
Jeff, beware the assumption that millions of voters are going to listen to careful-thinking people discuss real complicated issues for hours on end in respectful tones. We're operating in a language that is contracting so rapidly that we've hardly noticed that our vowels are disappearing. You have less time to get your message across this month than last, next month than this. Since you don't control the means of communication, you can't reverse this, not now.
You can distill your message until you sloganize it. That's about all you can do if you want to be heard.
Yes, you can do it respectfully and truthfully, but if you want an impact, best also be tough!
Bert's post reminds me of Peter Russell's "Waking Up in Time". Our speed, which leads to contraction of language, also leads to contraction of our thinking.
ReplyDeleteRe: binary vs. nuanced. Relates to this mornings report on NPR about out brains and the inability to make rational (as opposed to emotional) decisions about even big issues. I suggest that many binary thinkers are pressured and distracted by the complexities in their lives at the same time. This leads to falling prey to the unconscious rather than taking charge when looking at issues. Add to this that most of us have become hooked on speed by busy lives, constant media in our environments, ever-faster computers. We now become impatient with nanoseconds.