Come November, as things stand at the moment, voters will
choose between two very different visions of America’s future. Democrats are
offering a business-as-usual vision that respects the institutions
of self-governance. Conversely, Republican activists are signaling distrust for
anyone and everything by vying to insert a norm-breaking, self-described
authoritarian. Things are so akimbo, the
NGOP endorsed against their own incumbents including Senators Fisher,
Ricketts, and Congressmen Bacon, Smith, and Flood.
Still don't know what I was waitin' for, And my
time was runnin' wild. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes: Turn and face the strange (Changes, David Bowie))
On both the right and the left, internal factions have made
leadership difficult. Voters might recall Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, Nancy Pelosi,
Kevin McCarthy, and recent Nebraska governors straddled similar divides. Biden,
despite recent challenges, has, with limited success, navigated the complex
interests of Progressive extremism, moderation, political partisanship, and existential
threats including Gaza, Ukraine, Taiwan, COVID, global warming, and
cyber-terrorism. Among Biden’s credits is his selective silence, allowing him
to negotiate in today’s hyper-partisanship and often unreasonable climate.
Ch-ch-changes. There's gonna have to be a
different man. Time may change me, but I can't change time.
The Parties intentionally force voters to choose the political
extreme or cast inconsequential votes. Traditional conservatives and liberals are
pigeonholed between a MAGA agenda and the Progressive Left.
Often, partisans argue moral equivalency with, “You think
we’re nuts? Look at what they’re
doing!” Suggesting their form of crazy is less toxic.
On the right, MAGA conservatives have grabbed the political reins
by electing candidates across all layers of government. Their intent is to redefine
American norms and traditions by undermining governing institutions, weakening the
Constitution, justifying a violent insurgency, and normalizing behaviors that
10 years ago they would have considered inconceivable.
On the left, Progressives leverage educational systems to
alter language and thus how we think. American pop culture has as much global influence
as our military might. Tied together, our vocabulary of ideas includes,
knowingly or not, legacy views on race, gender, and religion, including
definitions of good and bad behaviors.
Obviously, language, and through it, norms, values, and
thereby behaviors, have evolved for thousands of years. America’s language and the imagery embedded
within it, developed in a society historically dominated by white males and
Protestantism.
For example, I once used the phrase, ‘personal
responsibility’ in meeting. The room exploded, accusing me of using
‘conservative code words.’ Recently, campus protesters used the Arabic term ‘intifada’
(uprising) despite knowing the term offended others. In my case, I learned
quickly that I needed to change my choice of words if I wanted to successfully
navigate the conversation.
Ch-ch-changes. Don't tell them to grow up and
out of it.
Words and how we use them, matter. An aspect of modern
politics is redefining language and the images embedded within it - thereby
changing values, and ultimately behavior. Sometimes the results are desirable
while in other cases, its caveat emptor
(buyer beware). In a politicized setting, illegal
immigrant carries a very different mental image than undocumented worker or DACA
recipient. President Mr. Obama’s
refusal to use the phrase, radical
Islamic terrorist, demonstrated his choice to protect American-Muslims.
Equally poignant was, ‘Chinese flu’ despite
its use being associated with increases in violence against Eastern-Asian
Americans.
As society explores greater equality, there are five attitudes
associated with changing mores including rejection, tolerance, acceptance,
celebration, and participation. In 1996, 27% of Americans supported same-sex
marriage: today that number is 71% - a societal move from tolerance to
acceptance.
It’s important to be aware and thoughtful while society
navigates a tsunami of societal change. If we normalize deviancy, we’re going
to get more of it – especially when it emanates from the highest ranks of
political office. What we accept and how we adapt will define how we, and
others, live out our lives.
Strange fascinations, changes are taking the
pace I'm goin' through. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes