Note: It’s late Saturday evening (January 8th) as I begin this post. It will be past midnight when I finish it.
I completed a different post earlier today, but just before I finished it I became aware of the shooting tragedy in Tucson. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8th district) was shot in the head and is fighting for her life; Federal Judge John Roll and five others, including a nine-year-old girl, were shot and killed, and 13 others were critically wounded in the senseless shooting spree this morning.
The events in Arizona affected me profoundly, and I’ve decided to share a thought or two that I’m having about the situation.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Late this afternoon, I learned of the shootings that took place today in Tucson, Arizona. Everything else immediately seemed to stop for me – other sounds and words were tuned out as I followed the developments on the internet.
In the evening, I caught most of a special edition of Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. I don’t usually watch Olbermann (although his views align more closely with mine than those of the talking heads at Fox News do), because I tend to shy away from overtly partisan news, and both Olbermann and the pundits at Fox News can be sensational to varying degrees. This was an extraordinary occasion, though, and as such, there was a special edition of Countdown.
On the handful of occasions that I’ve watched Olbermann’s show, I’ve had to bring some grains of salt with me. This is not because there is no truth in what he says, but an astute mind will challenge what he hears or reads by looking for facts and sorting through BS.
With that said, I’m glad that I tuned in.
Olbermann’s voice faltered occasionally, belying an internal struggle with emotions at times. His sadness and passion for the subjects discussed on the program were clearly evident to me, and I was grateful for that.
He spent a significant portion of his time talking about the subject of violent rhetoric and its place in politics; or rather, the idea that it should have no place in politics. And in his closing “Special Comment,” he declared that the time for violent speech is over, and called for an immediate end to all use of violent metaphors and rhetoric from politicians, activists, and people of influence on radio, television, and other media (I’m paraphrasing).
He also apologized multiple times for making violent remarks on one occasion in particular, made clear that he did not condone them, and further apologized for any other time that he might have made remarks that inadvertently were violent or caused someone to think that he wished for something terrible to happen to another person.
To watch his Special Comment, click here. Other portions of the program can be found on the Countdown site at MSNBC as well.
But this post is not about Keith Olbermann. His show was merely a part of my Saturday night experience this weekend.
* * * * *
Two months ago, I wrote a couple of posts about the deteriorating quality of public discourse. In my post from November 9th, I touched on the idea that people often don’t seem to be aware of the consequences of their words and actions, particularly in this age where it is possible to make and publish statements publicly (and, in some cases, anonymously). From some of our country’s most prominent political figures and personalities down a certain subset of people who litter chat channels in video games and other social outlets, it seems that modesty, politeness, and respect have been been widely eschewed in favor of disrespect, taunting, name-calling, hate-spew, and violent speech of one kind or another.
As I was reading about what happened in Tucson, I began to think about Sarah Palin’s political hit list, the controversial “crosshairs map,” which she posted on her website last year (and removed shortly after the shooting occurred). I then thought about Bill O’Reilly, who referred to abortion doctor George Tiller (murdered during a service at his church on May 31, 2009), as “Tiller the baby killer” two dozen times on his show, according to Politifact. I thought of others who have recently shown a disquieting comfort or familiarity with violent or war-related speech, as used for political (or other) gain.
Keith Olbermann’s commentary closely matches my own feelings on the subject.
We don’t know, and perhaps we will never know, exactly why the shooter committed such a heinous set of crimes in Tucson. Perhaps he was encouraged in part by violent political rhetoric, perhaps not.
However…
In today’s world, we have access to astounding amounts of information – it’s at our fingertips and on our televisions. The majority of households in the U.S. have internet access, and nine in ten children are online in some fashion.
Keith Olbermann has called for an end to all use of violent rhetoric, metaphors, and speech, in our nation’s public political discourse, regardless of party, political position, or any other divisive associations. In the coming weeks, I know for a fact that we will see an as-yet-unknown number of public figures, as well as hordes of commenters on blogs and other social media, reject part or all of that idea because it came from a person who differs from them ideologically.
And while we may never know if any of the recent violent speech (etc.) had an impact on the killer’s motivations, it’s almost impossible to know for sure that those words weren’t taken the wrong way by someone.
Think about it. If a public figure makes a violent statement against someone, it could be read, heard or viewed by thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands or even millions, of people, including children and those who are mentally unstable.
Politics is a lot of marketing, and, despite all of the demographic studies that are done for both fields, at the end of the day, the message goes out to the general public, hitting its target audiences as well as others. If the wrong person gets a flippant or ill-considered message, the consequences could be tragic.
Again, we don’t know that anything negative will come of it. However, we also can’t be certain that the opposite will be true.
* * * * *
It starts with our leaders, parents, public figures, and mentors, .
In order to maintain a de facto civilized society, our leaders and public figures must set an example by dealing with one another respectfully and courteously. Political differences are a way of life, but we are all human beings – and not just “at the end of the day,” “when the dust settles,” etc.
Whether we believe it or not, our words make an impression on others. By speaking cautiously and treating others with respect, wherever we are in life (and on whatever platform or through whichever social media outlet), we lay the groundwork for positivity, well-being, growth…
And as citizens, we can’t stand silent and consider violence and violent speech acceptable. It can be eliminated, at least on a political level, if sensible people will collectively reject it.
Violence is simply awful. “Violent” is even a harsh-sounding word, appropriately describing its manifestation. The idea of a gunshot wound is absolutely horrifying in and of itself – it’s sudden, instant, irrevocable, and violent – and countless parents, widows, and friends of victims of violence have had their hearts broken when their loved ones have been taken away.
With that said: don’t become numb to violence and violent speech/rhetoric. It is not trivial. All of the “desensitization” that we hear about nowadays is something of a fallacy, because death is just as real as it was, and hits just as hard as it did, before violent video games, movies and lyrics became widely accepted. It certainly changed countless lives this weekend.
* * * * *
In closing, I realize that some of what I hope for is idealistic. It’s unrealistic to think that there will be a widespread elimination of the vitriol that we encounter way too often in our lives. However, maybe the events in Tucson will serve as a wake-up call to both politicians/public figures and citizens in general. Perhaps enough people will consider how they interact with one another that civility will gain market share, and public figures and officers will be held accountable for the quality of their discourse.
In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. I sincerely hope that Rep. Giffords will pull through, and will be able to have some quality of life again.
It’s time to reject violent political rhetoric
January 9, 2011 4 Comments
Note: It’s late Saturday evening (January 8th) as I begin this post. It will be past midnight when I finish it.
I completed a different post earlier today, but just before I finished it I became aware of the shooting tragedy in Tucson. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8th district) was shot in the head and is fighting for her life; Federal Judge John Roll and five others, including a nine-year-old girl, were shot and killed, and 13 others were critically wounded in the senseless shooting spree this morning.
The events in Arizona affected me profoundly, and I’ve decided to share a thought or two that I’m having about the situation.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Late this afternoon, I learned of the shootings that took place today in Tucson, Arizona. Everything else immediately seemed to stop for me – other sounds and words were tuned out as I followed the developments on the internet.
In the evening, I caught most of a special edition of Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. I don’t usually watch Olbermann (although his views align more closely with mine than those of the talking heads at Fox News do), because I tend to shy away from overtly partisan news, and both Olbermann and the pundits at Fox News can be sensational to varying degrees. This was an extraordinary occasion, though, and as such, there was a special edition of Countdown.
On the handful of occasions that I’ve watched Olbermann’s show, I’ve had to bring some grains of salt with me. This is not because there is no truth in what he says, but an astute mind will challenge what he hears or reads by looking for facts and sorting through BS.
With that said, I’m glad that I tuned in.
Olbermann’s voice faltered occasionally, belying an internal struggle with emotions at times. His sadness and passion for the subjects discussed on the program were clearly evident to me, and I was grateful for that.
He spent a significant portion of his time talking about the subject of violent rhetoric and its place in politics; or rather, the idea that it should have no place in politics. And in his closing “Special Comment,” he declared that the time for violent speech is over, and called for an immediate end to all use of violent metaphors and rhetoric from politicians, activists, and people of influence on radio, television, and other media (I’m paraphrasing).
He also apologized multiple times for making violent remarks on one occasion in particular, made clear that he did not condone them, and further apologized for any other time that he might have made remarks that inadvertently were violent or caused someone to think that he wished for something terrible to happen to another person.
To watch his Special Comment, click here. Other portions of the program can be found on the Countdown site at MSNBC as well.
But this post is not about Keith Olbermann. His show was merely a part of my Saturday night experience this weekend.
* * * * *
Two months ago, I wrote a couple of posts about the deteriorating quality of public discourse. In my post from November 9th, I touched on the idea that people often don’t seem to be aware of the consequences of their words and actions, particularly in this age where it is possible to make and publish statements publicly (and, in some cases, anonymously). From some of our country’s most prominent political figures and personalities down a certain subset of people who litter chat channels in video games and other social outlets, it seems that modesty, politeness, and respect have been been widely eschewed in favor of disrespect, taunting, name-calling, hate-spew, and violent speech of one kind or another.
As I was reading about what happened in Tucson, I began to think about Sarah Palin’s political hit list, the controversial “crosshairs map,” which she posted on her website last year (and removed shortly after the shooting occurred). I then thought about Bill O’Reilly, who referred to abortion doctor George Tiller (murdered during a service at his church on May 31, 2009), as “Tiller the baby killer” two dozen times on his show, according to Politifact. I thought of others who have recently shown a disquieting comfort or familiarity with violent or war-related speech, as used for political (or other) gain.
Keith Olbermann’s commentary closely matches my own feelings on the subject.
We don’t know, and perhaps we will never know, exactly why the shooter committed such a heinous set of crimes in Tucson. Perhaps he was encouraged in part by violent political rhetoric, perhaps not.
However…
In today’s world, we have access to astounding amounts of information – it’s at our fingertips and on our televisions. The majority of households in the U.S. have internet access, and nine in ten children are online in some fashion.
Keith Olbermann has called for an end to all use of violent rhetoric, metaphors, and speech, in our nation’s public political discourse, regardless of party, political position, or any other divisive associations. In the coming weeks, I know for a fact that we will see an as-yet-unknown number of public figures, as well as hordes of commenters on blogs and other social media, reject part or all of that idea because it came from a person who differs from them ideologically.
And while we may never know if any of the recent violent speech (etc.) had an impact on the killer’s motivations, it’s almost impossible to know for sure that those words weren’t taken the wrong way by someone.
Think about it. If a public figure makes a violent statement against someone, it could be read, heard or viewed by thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands or even millions, of people, including children and those who are mentally unstable.
Politics is a lot of marketing, and, despite all of the demographic studies that are done for both fields, at the end of the day, the message goes out to the general public, hitting its target audiences as well as others. If the wrong person gets a flippant or ill-considered message, the consequences could be tragic.
Again, we don’t know that anything negative will come of it. However, we also can’t be certain that the opposite will be true.
* * * * *
It starts with our leaders, parents, public figures, and mentors, .
In order to maintain a de facto civilized society, our leaders and public figures must set an example by dealing with one another respectfully and courteously. Political differences are a way of life, but we are all human beings – and not just “at the end of the day,” “when the dust settles,” etc.
Whether we believe it or not, our words make an impression on others. By speaking cautiously and treating others with respect, wherever we are in life (and on whatever platform or through whichever social media outlet), we lay the groundwork for positivity, well-being, growth…
And as citizens, we can’t stand silent and consider violence and violent speech acceptable. It can be eliminated, at least on a political level, if sensible people will collectively reject it.
Violence is simply awful. “Violent” is even a harsh-sounding word, appropriately describing its manifestation. The idea of a gunshot wound is absolutely horrifying in and of itself – it’s sudden, instant, irrevocable, and violent – and countless parents, widows, and friends of victims of violence have had their hearts broken when their loved ones have been taken away.
With that said: don’t become numb to violence and violent speech/rhetoric. It is not trivial. All of the “desensitization” that we hear about nowadays is something of a fallacy, because death is just as real as it was, and hits just as hard as it did, before violent video games, movies and lyrics became widely accepted. It certainly changed countless lives this weekend.
* * * * *
In closing, I realize that some of what I hope for is idealistic. It’s unrealistic to think that there will be a widespread elimination of the vitriol that we encounter way too often in our lives. However, maybe the events in Tucson will serve as a wake-up call to both politicians/public figures and citizens in general. Perhaps enough people will consider how they interact with one another that civility will gain market share, and public figures and officers will be held accountable for the quality of their discourse.
In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. I sincerely hope that Rep. Giffords will pull through, and will be able to have some quality of life again.
Filed under Blogging & Social Media, politics Tagged with commentary, politics