Our country is in serious trouble. America is politically and culturally at war with itself. The similarities to the events leading up to our Civil War and the current political atmosphere are difficult to ignore.
Calling it a “civil” war is a misnomer. There was nothing civil about it. Passions ran high. In the annals of war, it was about as cruel and nasty as war gets. Portraying it as a romantic and nostalgic saga of chivalry and noble pride was a mockery of the of national values that had been the cornerstone of our Declaration of Independence.
There were many precursors to that war. Economics, human bondage and states’ rights top the list. Many Southerners felt disenfranchised. Their culture and way of life were being threatened, and they believed that the federal government wasn’t listening.
After several attempts at mollifying the South’s position on slavery and states’ rights through federal legislation failed, the South finally had enough. The secession of 11 Southern states from the Union in 1861 was the prelude to war.
The results of our 2016 federal election echoed many of the same grievances that the South had complained about, including states’ rights and restraining the power of the federal government. Voters across our nation felt disenfranchised and that Washington wasn’t listening to them so they “threw the bums out.”
People should agree to disagree about politics without going to war about it. Throw a dart at a world map and the chances are good that it will land somewhere where people are killing each other with wild abandonment at an astonishing rate and for many reasons, including politics. We did that once at the cost of over 620,000 lives of our fellow countrymen. I do not wish a repeat performance of that sad chapter in our history.
Political beliefs are protected by the 1st Amendment to our Constitution. With constitutional rights comes personal responsibility. We should tone down the poisonous atmosphere of personal derision and vitriol. We hear and watch politicians shouting “liar,” “throw him out,” “lock her up,” “vermin” and “basket of deplorables.” Once name calling begins, it never ends. Slander, disguised as hyperbole, demeans our character. There is nothing wrong with robust political dialogue. It’s enshrined in our Constitution.
Once again, passions are running high. Hurling unkind and unnecessary insults only diminishes the veracity of the person doing the hurling. Offensive political grandstanding and boorish behavior by leaders in our government is dangerous, particularly when there are so many rogue nations with nuclear weapons.
A good place to begin restoring civility would be in Washington, D.C. We have enough problems on our plate without government leaders adding fuel to the fire with incendiary personal attacks and character assassinations.
We should try harder to be kinder to each other, both at home and in government. Kindness and civility are not weaknesses. They are the adult standards of confident people. Kindness cost so little, and the positive results are so generous. Let’s hope that it will not be cut in the proposed federal budget.
(Jim Baer lives in Concord.)