Be a Member of Team USA (4/3/04)
With all of the fighting going on in the political world, one might wonder why we can’t all just get along. The answer is that we can, despite our political differences.
Democracy is like a relationship. It takes work on all sides to make it succeed, in the form of listening, uniting and participating.
We can draw lessons from our families and apply them to people we don’t see eye-to-eye with politically. Consider first what tears families apart:
Not Listening
Family members who believe that no one listens to or cares about them can get frustrated. This frustration can lead to alienation and even acts of desperation.
That’s how it is in politics. Voters who don’t think politicians care do the worst thing they can for the political process: they don’t vote. Then elected leaders do not receive a mandate or clear direction on what they ought to do.
The Need to Always Be Right
Dealing with a self-righteous family member can be painful. The member is always right and never owns up to any mistake. This attitude drives other family members away or encourages them to go out of their way to find fault with them.
About a year ago, the Bush Administration told the public that the nation had to go to war with Iraq, in part because Iraq was an imminent threat because it had weapons of mass destruction and connections with Al-Qaeda. When these beliefs were proven to be false, Administration officials denied having made the claims. http://www.moveon.org/censure/caughtonvideo/
Personal Attacks
Hearing criticism from someone outside the family is one thing. But when family members make personal attacks on one another, the results can be catastrophic. Sometimes people refuse to speak to one another after cruel remarks are spoken.
In politics, negative campaigning like one politician running ads calling another politician “soft on crime” or saying that they only “tax and spend” does not just demean the opponent. It also shuts voters’ attention from the election and leads to apathy.
How can we stop our political process from disintegrating into distrust? We can learn from the examples set forth by healthy families:
Listen
Strong families learn to listen to what each member has to say. Likewise, we as voters can listen to opposing viewpoints instead of attacking them. Listening keeps us awake and either sharpens our point of view or allows us to question it.
Agreeing to Disagree
Many healthy families have husbands and wives from different parties. Surely we can do the same with our friends and acquaintances. An honest difference of opinion on political matters should not end a relationship.
Coming Together
A member of a strong family might say something like, “I will criticize my brother all I want, but don’t anyone else dare criticize him.” Families can fall apart with all the disagreement within, but can come right back together when an outsider tries to disrupt them.
Recall the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001. For a brief time, the nation, devastated by the tragic loss of life, rallied together against a common threat, the terrorists.
The United States is like a big family. We can, and frequently do, disagree with our compatriots, but we don’t have to let it end our relationship within the family. We can listen to other people, not take differences of opinion personally and unite on common beliefs.
We are all a part of “Team USA.” Let us resolve to value this family over whatever differences we may have with one another.