One of the things that I started to notice in the back-and-forth of partisan politics was that since the goal is to persuade people that you are right and the other side is wrong, and we've lacked virtue in that effort for a long time, there became an incentive to score cheap outrage points against one's enemies.
I remember when Michelle Obama was talking about the election of her husband to the presidency. She said concerning it, "For the first time in my adult life, I was proud of America," or something to that effect. The outrage was swift and predictable; how could any self-respecting American say that they never been proud of our country before that? Well, a black American, that's who. I knew what she meant, and for as much as a frank statement like that might hurt me as a patriot, Michelle Obama is going to get some wide latitude, and so is her husband. I owe every American of color that, and especially black Americans--descendants of transatlantic slaves--even though I am not personally guilty of those crimes. It seemed like the very idea of reminding us that we haven't exactly expressed the proper solidarity and dignity with our black American neighbors was a personal offense against every Republican. I reasoned that either these outraged people are simply narcissistic and callous, or it was a move to score cheap points against Obama in the political arena. Either way, I didn't want any part of it.
I spent a lot of the Obama years being angry at him. Some of it was legitimate, and some of it wasn't. One thing that I was certain of was that any of my disagreements and frustrations had literally nothing to do with the fact that he was black. After all, I voted for the guy. I didn't expect him to talk and think like a white person, or to completely ignore his own feelings, or the misfortunes of black Americans. That's why I didn't really get mad about Jeremiah Wright. I know why Jeremiah Wright could say the things he said. I listened to maybe 10 of those sermons. Whether or not I believe any of it was a faithful exposition of God's word is beside the point. I could see the world through Wright's eyes.
People got really mad at Obama when Prof. Gates got pulled over by that white cop, and then he invited Prof. Gates and the officer to share a beer at the White House. Apparently, a respected member of America's professoriate is not allowed to be outraged about the police overstepping their bounds, while he stands on the porch of his own house. I won't ever say that any citizen is not responsible for their own actions, but I don't personally blame black Americans for being sick and tired of it all. A lot of people didn't see a professor, a man, and a citizen defending his rights; if you will pardon me, they saw an uppity Negro, and it was time to put him in his place.
To be honest, I started to see a lot more veiled and not so veiled racism under the surface of a lot of rhetoric and discussion. In short, I don't need any more fake outrage, or racist outrage, or sexist outrage, as opposed to arguments. My profound disagreements with Democrats along the lines of abortion, family, and sexual identity remain, though what was a sort of visceral rage that cause me to dislike them as people has gone away. I think a lot of partisan politics simply works via this visceral outrage, a sort of in-group disgust for "them". If I had ever consciously and thoughtfully believed anything, it was not because I disliked Barack Obama, or Nancy Pelosi, or Chuck Schumer. They can still be wrong; I don't have to hate them.
I raised my voice at a party recently. It was after everyone else had left, and I was talking to a guy I know. He's a guy I like actually. And as I started to lay out my views about all sorts of things, he got agitated, and so did I. And I punctuated the discussion with, "Do you know what the problem is with talk radio? They tell you what to think, and who to hate, and why!" I went on to say that if "conservatism" consists in simply this, I want no part of it. Even though I spent the better part of my 20s uncritically being a Republican, and furtively speaking as though I would oppose any "establishment" figure, that Bush family, with their sensible milquetoast tendency to be hopelessly mainstream, started to look more appealing. I no longer recognized "movement" conservatism to be a healthy force in American life. It seemed at one point in the past, I could afford to support the antiestablishment candidate, foolishly believing that bomb throwing aside, we all agreed on what was acceptable, and what was not. This was a foolish presumption.
And here we are. I don't even call myself a conservative anymore, although my most fundamental views have not changed at all.
The trite bromides that I used to mock as sentiment about disagreeing without being disagreeable, now sound like the most important and needed things. I will never hate Joe Biden; he was the opponent, back when I took goodness and propriety for granted, when I thought I could afford to be stupid. I never thought that any of them at bottom were a threat to my very existence, although with abortion of course, its advocates are a threat to someone's existence.
Let me bring it back to my title. Today, if I say I'm angry about something, you can bet that I really am. I don't take on the posture of anger for some political goal, and if I sense someone doing this, I really hate it. The current state of "politics" is such that it encourages us to be dishonest about what we think, and about what we want, for partisan gain. Before I am tempted to inveigh against classical liberalism, I'll just stop right there.
I reject tribalism, as a thoughtless, gut reaction, as it were, before actual thinking takes place. I'm not using the right words that Dr. Cross would use, but I think my meaning here is plain enough. I don't automatically know what I think about fuel efficiency standards for instance, simply because "the other side" has stated their views. I have no enemies in this arena anymore; if I'm a little looser in my allegiance, it is in the service to the truth, and in the service to the good of us all. I am sure to be imperfect in striving for this goal, but I earnestly strive nonetheless.
I remember when Michelle Obama was talking about the election of her husband to the presidency. She said concerning it, "For the first time in my adult life, I was proud of America," or something to that effect. The outrage was swift and predictable; how could any self-respecting American say that they never been proud of our country before that? Well, a black American, that's who. I knew what she meant, and for as much as a frank statement like that might hurt me as a patriot, Michelle Obama is going to get some wide latitude, and so is her husband. I owe every American of color that, and especially black Americans--descendants of transatlantic slaves--even though I am not personally guilty of those crimes. It seemed like the very idea of reminding us that we haven't exactly expressed the proper solidarity and dignity with our black American neighbors was a personal offense against every Republican. I reasoned that either these outraged people are simply narcissistic and callous, or it was a move to score cheap points against Obama in the political arena. Either way, I didn't want any part of it.
I spent a lot of the Obama years being angry at him. Some of it was legitimate, and some of it wasn't. One thing that I was certain of was that any of my disagreements and frustrations had literally nothing to do with the fact that he was black. After all, I voted for the guy. I didn't expect him to talk and think like a white person, or to completely ignore his own feelings, or the misfortunes of black Americans. That's why I didn't really get mad about Jeremiah Wright. I know why Jeremiah Wright could say the things he said. I listened to maybe 10 of those sermons. Whether or not I believe any of it was a faithful exposition of God's word is beside the point. I could see the world through Wright's eyes.
People got really mad at Obama when Prof. Gates got pulled over by that white cop, and then he invited Prof. Gates and the officer to share a beer at the White House. Apparently, a respected member of America's professoriate is not allowed to be outraged about the police overstepping their bounds, while he stands on the porch of his own house. I won't ever say that any citizen is not responsible for their own actions, but I don't personally blame black Americans for being sick and tired of it all. A lot of people didn't see a professor, a man, and a citizen defending his rights; if you will pardon me, they saw an uppity Negro, and it was time to put him in his place.
To be honest, I started to see a lot more veiled and not so veiled racism under the surface of a lot of rhetoric and discussion. In short, I don't need any more fake outrage, or racist outrage, or sexist outrage, as opposed to arguments. My profound disagreements with Democrats along the lines of abortion, family, and sexual identity remain, though what was a sort of visceral rage that cause me to dislike them as people has gone away. I think a lot of partisan politics simply works via this visceral outrage, a sort of in-group disgust for "them". If I had ever consciously and thoughtfully believed anything, it was not because I disliked Barack Obama, or Nancy Pelosi, or Chuck Schumer. They can still be wrong; I don't have to hate them.
I raised my voice at a party recently. It was after everyone else had left, and I was talking to a guy I know. He's a guy I like actually. And as I started to lay out my views about all sorts of things, he got agitated, and so did I. And I punctuated the discussion with, "Do you know what the problem is with talk radio? They tell you what to think, and who to hate, and why!" I went on to say that if "conservatism" consists in simply this, I want no part of it. Even though I spent the better part of my 20s uncritically being a Republican, and furtively speaking as though I would oppose any "establishment" figure, that Bush family, with their sensible milquetoast tendency to be hopelessly mainstream, started to look more appealing. I no longer recognized "movement" conservatism to be a healthy force in American life. It seemed at one point in the past, I could afford to support the antiestablishment candidate, foolishly believing that bomb throwing aside, we all agreed on what was acceptable, and what was not. This was a foolish presumption.
And here we are. I don't even call myself a conservative anymore, although my most fundamental views have not changed at all.
The trite bromides that I used to mock as sentiment about disagreeing without being disagreeable, now sound like the most important and needed things. I will never hate Joe Biden; he was the opponent, back when I took goodness and propriety for granted, when I thought I could afford to be stupid. I never thought that any of them at bottom were a threat to my very existence, although with abortion of course, its advocates are a threat to someone's existence.
Let me bring it back to my title. Today, if I say I'm angry about something, you can bet that I really am. I don't take on the posture of anger for some political goal, and if I sense someone doing this, I really hate it. The current state of "politics" is such that it encourages us to be dishonest about what we think, and about what we want, for partisan gain. Before I am tempted to inveigh against classical liberalism, I'll just stop right there.
I reject tribalism, as a thoughtless, gut reaction, as it were, before actual thinking takes place. I'm not using the right words that Dr. Cross would use, but I think my meaning here is plain enough. I don't automatically know what I think about fuel efficiency standards for instance, simply because "the other side" has stated their views. I have no enemies in this arena anymore; if I'm a little looser in my allegiance, it is in the service to the truth, and in the service to the good of us all. I am sure to be imperfect in striving for this goal, but I earnestly strive nonetheless.
Comments