In today’s LA Times, Jonah Goldberg writes that all these calls for “unity”, and decrying the vicious partisanship that have become a hallmark of our times, are not just over-rated, they’re actually the equivalent of telling the opposition to just “stop disagreeing with me and shut up”.
For Goldberg, evidently, it won’t be a problem until somebody starts shooting, but Polimom thinks he’s totally missed the bus.
Yes, of course democracy is about disagreement, but it’s also about discourse and debate — and the implicit foundations of respect and civility.
People who are condemning the over-heated partisan rhetoric aren’t suggesting that the opposition shut-up and dump their positions; they’re saying (or at least, I’m saying) that politics is for grown-ups — and if you can’t act like one, you need to go find your blankie. It’s time for your milk, cookies, and nap.
People who aren’t able (or willing) to listen to another’s underlying concerns, or who only know how to throw verbal knives, clearly aren’t ready for a seat at the adult table in the public dining room.
There’s a great deal of angst lately over America’s youth, and tons of virtual ink have been spent on their lack of respect, rapidly diminishing linguistic skills, and cultural shallowness. I’m not sure, though, that the problem is with the young people — particularly considering the models they’ve been given.
Maybe the better question for dealing with this increasingly dysfunctional incivility is: How are grown-ups supposed to act?
This current crop of “adults” could clearly benefit from some better role models.