It may be politics as usual, but this year it seems to be particularly nasty. Why do we allow political ads that are so vicious? What has happened to civility and respect for the opposition? The death of kindness may turn out to be far more important for the human community than political issues that encourage such passion and vindictiveness. We should remember that!
The simple fact is that our culture allows this, perhaps even expects personal attack as part of the legitimate political process. In fact, we seem to have reached the point where we are almost bored with factual debate. We expect the reporting of juicy details of a candidate’s history. We have become voyeurs of their personal lives. Why do we do this, and how did we get to this point?
The answer is complex, but much of it may be traced to the phenomenon of 24 hour news reporting. When you are “on” every moment of every day you must scramble to fill all of that time. The boundaries of civility and what is fair game for reporting get stretched. Soon they are blurred to the point where most anything goes. This is when we lose respect for each other. The death of kindness may turn out to be far more important in the long run than the important but transitory issues that stir up such passion. So, let us return to a position of respect for the opposition!! Character assassination is an unnecessary part of politics. We are all part of the human community, and some values are even more important than politics.
