There is a deep conspicuous crack running down the middle of our society. It manifests itself in every area of life imaginable: from the bumper stickers on the cars we pass daily to the news and media outlets bombarding us with propaganda to the everyday conversations with classmates and coworkers. All of these and more would have us believe that humanity is comprised of two basic factions: conservatives and liberals. Republicans and Democrats.
We are a divided people. This is nothing new I realize— the disparity and bigotry prevalent in American politics is sometimes seems older than the party system of which it has become an irrevocable part. But it seems to me that this disparity has only widened in recent history with vicious verbal assaults replacing healthy discourse and personal attacks masquerading as political debate.
“There was a time when people respected the president despite their personal stance on his policies I hear the older generations lament. And people could disagree and still be decent about it— show basic human respect.” Well not having been alive during this supposed era of respect and toleration these lamentations could very well be little more than rosy retrospection. Either way things certainly could not have been worse. I have liberal friends who have been called “communist” – which must be the most sorely abused word in the English language – because of their supporting Obama in last year’s election. On the other side I have conservative friends whose intelligence and moral character have been fired upon by the opposing party.
The truly sad part is that such behavior is shamelessly propagated by the news pundits American looks to for evenhanded commentary. Keith Olbermann’s degrading comments on conservative figures and stances are often in line with juvenile mudslinging and Bill O’Reilly’s responses do little to put out the fire. Sean Hannity publishes books with such titles as “Deliver Us from Evil: Defeating Terrorism Despotism and Liberalism.” The words “hate” and “hateful” are thrown around by both sides but neither seems very keen on diffusing the hate speech themselves.
At the heart of the issue is a desire so simplistic childish and regrettably familiar that it’s almost laughable: the desire to elevate oneself by degrading another. And what does this practice have to do with truth justice unity equality freedom or any of those lofty ideals that Republicans and Democrats alike claim to pursue? Absolutely nothing. By allowing ourselves to become consumed by petty grievances we lose sight of the big picture: the future of our country and its gravity on the world stage.
Now I’m not so naïve as to entertain shiny visions of nationwide peace and unity swallowing up pettiness and bigotry. After all I’m not expecting human nature to change anytime soon. But what if in a perfect world both sides came to the realization that they are not rivals but unlikely allies? That they are ideologically more closely aligned than they had thought and that they are in fact at war against the common enemies of terrorism poverty oppression and injustice? That we all are Americans and that we all seek in our own ways the change that we feel will be most beneficial to our country and to the world? Perhaps our shortsighted goals of self-aggrandizement would then become a unified pursuit of truth and justice a transformation that could do much to heal the current divide.