[ First diary. Please be gentle. ;-) ]
Was scanning the comments in a recent entry, and came across someone ranting about nuance. "Nuance BAD! Ivy League BAD! ARRRR!" (okay, I took some liberties with their comment)
I see this attitude quite a bit. We're so fixated on succintness, on crafting the perfect sound bite, that we seem terrified to acknowledge that complicated issues are actually, you know, complicated.
So forgive the presumption, but isn't nuance what politics is all about?
More, as they say, on the flip:
It seems one of our biggest shortcomings as a political party is our inability, or unwillingness, to address the complexities inherent in our social challenges. And sadly, most Dems seem to fall into the trap that nuance is bad and what we need to say ALWAYS must fit, and can only fit, on a piece of paper the size of a postage stamp.
I think this is why you see BushCo. trotting out the "hard work" mantra. Oddly enough, this is one of the most true things they ever say. It is hard. But them saying so sounds hollow, hackneyed. Why?
They don't follow through, that's why. They're not really doing the work, or even making a show at pretending to, because they're hostile to the notion that government works (their response to Katrina is all the proof anyone needs to see that). And so for most thinking people it sounds disengenuous. Which it is coming from them, of course.
"Nuance" is the new "Liberal" in the lexicon of no-no.
However, treating it so plays right into the neo-conservative hand. Not acknowledging and addressing the complexity of our problems means we can't really discuss them. To them it's right vs. wrong, black vs. white, hookers vs. blow (errr... maybe not the last one). When we allow ourselves into being forced to make a false choice it makes us look disengenuous. Which it is, of course. There is no binary decision-making process on the issues of poverty, race, economic justice, drug policy, yadda yadda yadda.
Taking a stand on a complex issue doesn't mean you have to choose one or the other. Choose bits of both sides when it makes sense (and it usually does):
-- Abortion should be safe, legal, and most importantly RARE. Let's come up with ways to limit unwanted pregancies, and give adequate support to those who may need to make the unfortunate decision as to whether to abort a pregnancy.
-- School choice has its advantages, but not at the expense of our public school system. If we must, let's find a way to add school choice rather than bankrupt one of the institutions that made our nation great -- our public schools.
-- The War on Drugs isn't working. We can't just open the flood gates and legalize most drugs, either. Let's take a common sense approach to curtailing drug use and help those who want to or need to get clean, rather than throw them into jail.
-- NAFTA and CAFTA, in principle, are reasonable ideas. But we must make sure corporate interest does not supersede the public's interests. We have a need to protect our environment, to protect our workers from unfair business practices. Let's do everything we can to make trade freer, but we need to make sure we look out for both the people who might be affected as well as the economic benefits that freer trade gives us all.
And so on.
The challenges we face as Americans are not easy. Nothing that anyone of intelligence and character has left to disagree about is as simple as the conservative movement claims it is.
So when some dumbass starts spouting off how "Abortion is easy! Just do ____," or "Here's my 1 Step Program to Conquer Poverty/Our "Failing" Schools/Crime/Drugs/Terrorism," run far far far away from that person. He/she is LYING. Or delusional. Or both.
And for the love of all that is sacred and good Do Not Vote For Them.