Debate as Disinfectant

 

I'm reviving this blog after ALMOST A DECADE (wtf!?!) to give myself a platform for political expression outside the increasingly tribalized echo chamber of social media.  

The political landscape has shifted in ways I couldn't have imagined nine years ago.  In 2016 when Hillary Clinton uttered the phrase "implicit bias" during the first presidential debate it prompted a flurry of Google searches.  Now, this term is part of our daily lexicon whether we believe in it or not. Disinformation campaigns from authoritarian leaders in Russia and China undermine our trust in institutions and shape our narratives in ways we refuse to examine or admit. Every social media post is assumed to telegraph one's allegiance to a cause. As everything from the mail to health hygiene being claimed by one political identity or another, tribalism has become our new national past-time. 

On the other hand,  I've watched friends who initially shied away from speaking up about politics, racial injustice, patriarchy, and capitalism become active and vocal in their public lives. People who never thought about the electoral college or the fillibuster are challenging the notion that these institutions still serve us. The contributions of the art community take on new significance in this climate.  Street protests are not just for radicals but opportunities to participate in democracy.  

For better or worse, we now exist in a universe of extremes, with little tolerance for complexity or nuance. The righteousness is addictively reassuring.

However, with growing division also comes the challenge to examine our own behaviors and personal beliefs. While some find dissonance intolerable, others channel the scrutiny from the opposition to question their beliefs and whether their lives align with their purported values. After a willful political sleep, people are waking up to ask themselves:

• How much am I willing to silence dissent in service of presenting a united front?
• Does my spiritual practice align with my political leanings?
• What objectionable behavior am I willing to overlook in support of my side's candidate?
• How much do I share with my children about our national history of violence and bigotry?
• Where do I draw the line with my loved ones regarding our differences of opinion?

While some can't wait for this embattled chapter of our history to come to a close, I hope that we find ways to integrate the new political awareness into our national identity.  I hope we build muscles to elevate the mindless vitriol of the comments section into reasoned debates of persuasive counterpoints.  I hope we come to value dissent within our own party as the force that improves it. I hope we can learn that our beliefs are not so precious that they will crumble under the weight of scrutiny... and if they do, then perhaps they were temporary crutches built for obsolescence. 

#debate 

#election2020 

#values