What Have I Done to You? or a comment about political discourse

By Carol Richmond July 22, 2017 behavior, Politics, social media, Washington D.C.

The other day I was having an online discussion with a Trump voter and they took umbrage to a comment I made about the resignation of Mr. Spicer. The question was asked to me, “What have I ever done to you?” intimating, in my read, of hurt feelings.

That question is one of great interest to me and brought me to much introspection, research and soul searching.

This discussion has not done anything personally to me; my arms are not broken, my jaw not reddened, my eyes not swollen nor has my spirit for the resistance been broken.

Another way of assessing the question would be, “What have I ever done to you for you to lash out at my beliefs, contest my loyalty to the person I voted for, or what I have heard many espouse, how can you question the person elected president?”

What has happened due to this political discourse, is my realization that when thought processes, flamed by exaggeration, repetitive misguided false conclusions perpetrated by a self-serving narcissistic egoist, and multiplied by masses, has destroyed a portion of society’s ability to think for themselves; it does something to me.

What our discourse has produced is my disbelief; disbelief in:

1) The belief that media, and in many instances, all media, is feeding misinformation on a constant, daily, hourly and momentary rate.

2) The blind allegiance to demagogy in the face of the reality.

3) Daily, hourly and momentary lies from the White House based in rhetoric and should be equated with the art of persuasion because they are tailored to match how the parties’ constituency speaks, not to the business of the US and the World as global leaders, but are condoned and accepted.

4) How those that continue to support this demagogue cannot, will not, and refuse, to see the obvious.

5) How deflection has become the way to answer a straight question.

6) How the quiet herds led to slaughter cannot see the absurd from the sublime.

7) Loyalty above the law rules the Oval Office.

If this were a political discourse simply involving the complex differences between a liberal and conservative viewpoint, (and I use the word ‘simply” in a facetious manner) there could be more subjective discussions. This political circus has gone so far beyond understanding, it does deeply ‘do’ something to me on a very instinctual level. It incenses my very basic belief in right vs. wrong.