Driving to pick up K1 from camp yesterday, I caught a bit of Talk of the Nation on NPR. One exchange in particular stuck with me, which I'd like to share here. Please be so kind as to follow me below the dingledoodlesquiggliedKosagnocchidividerthingie fold after a word from our sponsor...
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The discussion centered around the Aurora shootings. Host Neil Conan was interviewing Ed Smith, an editor at the Denver Post during the 1999 Columbine shootings. Smith mentioned a need to be a more compassionate society. Conan asked what he meant. From the NPR.org transcript and with the emphasis all mine:
SMITH: I think I'm talking about trying to make a difference in our individual lives. Governor Hickenlooper was at the prayer vigil last night, and I thought he made a poignant point, which is that we want to remember these people, and one way that we can remember them, one way that we can make a difference, is simply to be better people. And we can all interpret that in different ways.
But I think just small acts of kindness, compassion do make a difference. It makes us a better people. I said in my column that 30-plus years in the newspaper business, naive is not a word that people would use to describe me, but I think that it's not entirely naive to say that we need to take into our own hands making ourselves a better society and stop blaming other people, stop pointing our finger at others and say they're the problem or they're the ones who are supposed to come up with a solution.
CONAN: And speaking of history, you went a little bit past Columbine to the pre-Civil War era to look for lessons.
SMITH: Absolutely. I think that we are a nation that has gone through convulsions of vitriol toward one another. And certainly the pre-Civil War era is a time when that occurred. And it seems as though in the last 10 years or so, the last 15 years, that the level of discourse in our country has become so polarized. And the point I make in the piece is that we've begun to not just disagree with people, we've begun to think that how other people think, and if they don't agree with us they're not simply wrong, they're just - they don't really even have a right to exist. They're the other. And we - I think that's a bad place to go in this country, and it troubles me a great deal.
CONAN: And do you see that emerging in the discussion about what happened in Aurora?
SMITH: Well, I looked at a bunch of the comments on various pieces, on the Denver Post particularly, and just a brief smattering, I saw one person who said that the problem with Columbine and Aurora was that Californians had moved to Colorado.
I saw another piece that said the problem that not enough people had guns. Another one, of course, said that we didn't have strict enough gun laws. I had other people comment to me: So do you think we should just be nice to each other? Is that your solution?
"We need to stop blaming others, and take making a better society into our own hands." I couldn't agree more. Whatever's wrong, it's not the Blacks' fault any more than that of the Catholics, Jews, Women, Gays, Immigrants, Youth, Elderly or even my dog. It's no ONE group's anything.
"If people don't agree with us, they become Other, with lesser right to exist." I'd not phrase it quite that way, but there is a culture in which if we disagree, you're not only wrong, you're idiot scum. When I see some of the rhetoric that gets spewed here about "them" it saddens me. I understand this is a partisan site, and that it feels good to snark and lump everyone who isn't Us as Them. Hell, my comment history as well as my Tc noms shows I lean towards the snark. I do try to confine the snark and outrage to individuals whose actions can be defined, not groups. Republican Congressional leadership. Right-wing shock jocks. Etc.
One of the best discussions I've had on the Aurora shootings, the 2nd Amendment and gun control was yesterday, with a Republican friend of mine. Former police officer, lost a buncha men on September 11th. We both started out assuming the other would vehemently disagree. But no. We have FAR more in common that you'd think, and the differences are ones that in a responsible society where both sides were respected, would be amenable to compromise. My friend's a registered Republican but he's not an idiot, not a mindless Fauxmaton, and he considers candidates rather than vote straight party ticket. Yet to many, because of that (R), he's an ignorant asshole who deserves whatever he gets because he's "them".
Question to consider: when we divide us into Us and Them, what makes it any different than what the domestic terrorists, Bachmanns, Limbaughs, and Rmoneys of the world do?
"So do you think we should just be nice to each other? Is that your solution?" No, it's not the only solution... but it's a damned fine start. Think the best, and make every moment a teachable moment. Will those who disagree listen and consider? Maybe, maybe not. I know I feel better when I treat others with consideration and respect, even if it's not always returned. As life has shown me lately in ways too personal and numerous to mention, karma comes back to you. Treat people ill, and it will rebound. Treat them well, and while it may not be how you imagine it, it'll rebound, too.
Or, as the wise men said: Be excellent to each other.
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything
without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do
not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From first-time nominator CoExistNow:
This comment by 4CasandChlo was a perfect summation of Bully Rmoney.
From Dave in Northridge:
In Scott Wooledge's I-wish-it-was-snark-but-it-isn't diary Chick-Fil-A now lying for Jesus that the Muppets are unsafe, Texdude50 had a suggestion and OregonOak responded appropriately. Next project, Henson family?
From Noddy:
Chimpy tells the story of what happens when you lie about the Muppets in a comment on Scott Wooledge's diary.
From Yours Truly, brillig:
Via Meteor Blades, we learn Rmoney spoke to the VFW today without mentioning, you know... veterans. llbear gets my nom for the comment title alone!
Kaili Joy Gray makes a truly vital point about a topic we aren't talking about.
Top Mojo for yesterday, July 23rd, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic!
1) Anyone W. Mitt meets coming up better get by zenbassoon — 244
2) Thanks for taking note of this continuing... by Meteor Blades — 135
3) Best tweet I heard to date on this subject: by texcap — 131
4) Sociopathic by ivorybill — 128
5) It's also a good tactic to counter the "otherness" by concernedamerican — 124
6) I know it pales in importance but: by 4CasandChlo — 122
7) He's willing to do whatever it takes to win by blue aardvark — 118
8) Someone on another site said today that by Killer of Sacred Cows — 113
9) First rule of international politics by blue aardvark — 113
10) The sad part is by Dr Colossus — 109
11) Stories like this make the homophobia real. by voracious — 109
12) People like Obama when he's not in the abstract. by chrississippi — 109
13) "invest in other countries" well, worked for him. by LinSea — 107
14) I can't vote by SilverWillow — 107
15) Straight and to the point. by raptavio — 104
16) I also refuse to release my tax returns. by BenderRodriguez — 103
17) Don't Tax Me, Bro! by kitebro — 101
18) Yep. by Scott Wooledge — 100
19) I had no idea until today by litigatormom — 96
20) I'm looking forward to watching by hungrycoyote — 93
21) Bingo... by RichM — 92
22) I belie the meme that by Horace Boothroyd III — 90
23) If the event was posted on the internet by jayden — 87
24) Yep by Horace Boothroyd III — 86
25) even with the evidence that by a gilas girl — 83
26) Ghosts- looks like ghosts-abused kids do live by roseeriter — 82
27) Instead of tips, read the info at these links and by concernedamerican — 81
28) The juxtaposition is genius by oakwood — 81
29) Just like Willard by HugoDog — 79
30) I would disagree by BIGGOVY — 79
Top Pictures for yesterday, July 23rd. Click any image to be taken to the full comment. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!