Political correctness, differences and leadership!

Shannon Bohrer

(7/2019) The news is full of political talk and how our nation is so divided. We hear from the experts that our differences are being exploited by both sides, and that as a nation we have never experienced such ideological divisions. Accordingly, if true, our political differences are tearing the country apart, so how do we - or should we - address the issue?

From an historical perspective, the problem we currently have is not something that we have never experienced. In our infancy, before we had a Declaration of Independence, we fought a revolution and created a county. We were divided even more so than today. The country was divided between loyalist and revolutionist. Those are strong divisions. While the divisions were real, once our country was created, our differences were minimized, at least temporarily.

Another time that we experienced great divisions was during our civil war, which was our greatest internal conflict. The civil war lasted 4 years and after it ended we went through reconstruction and embraced the states that declared war on us. The intent of reconstruction was to unite rather than to keep us divided. However, some of the differences over the civil war may still exist. Many, on both sides, would say they those differences we had then, are similar to and contribute to some of our current issues.

The current disagreements and discords that we have - did not occur with the election of Trump. They already existed. The election of Trump did seem to hasten and accelerate some issues. Many people believe that our president is somewhat responsible for furthering our divergences with his rhetoric and his lack of political correctness. Trumps words, vilifying the Muslims, degrading persons with disabilities, referring to minority countries as "s___ hole countries" and the "good people on both sides" comment, has not been well received by many Americans. His supporters disagree, saying he is just being honest.

While many think of Trumps supporters as racist, because of his rhetoric - that is not factual. I say that because there are many people that voted for Trump, which previously voted for Obama. A large issue that only adds to our problems is our own opinions about our political parties. Each side is labeled by the other, as if everyone in each party is identical. Yet, we don’t always fit those labels. We are a nation that values individualism, meaning we are not all alike, even within our own political party.

What is factual is that some individuals and groups that espouse racial hatred openly support Trump. That fact is common knowledge and what offends many that disagree with these groups is that Trump seems to embrace them. Furthermore, when given opportunities, Trump refuses to disavow these groups.

In the United States of America, we have freedoms that are so vast that individuals that have racist view and believe in segregation can espouse those views. However, free speech does have limits. One cannot provoke civil unrest and incite riots, or "yell fire in a crowded theater." The limits also include intentional discrimination primarily by the government, and also by individuals or businesses involved in commerce. It is the government, which is supposed to have the responsibility to ensure that the citizens are treated equally.

While we theoretically espouse the value of equal treatment and opportunity for all, our history tells us that we have always been an imperfect country. When we were young only white men could vote. Eventually black persons were freed, but the freedom to vote took almost another hundred years. Additionally, voter suppression is still an issue. Of course women have been able to vote for just under one hundred years. So we have had our up and downs but our own history tells us that we have steadily moved in a forward direction, until recently.

For many Americans the president’s lack of political correctness and controversial statements are dividing the country. They see our forward progress, regressing. Are the president’s words meant to divide the country, or take the county in a different direction? Leadership is usually uniting people to move in a direction - and yet our differences seem to be expanding.

As to the political correctness, the president defends himself saying, "Political correctness means you can call terrorist, Muslim Terrorist, if they are Muslim." Others see the current administration exposing our differences and that our president fostering those divisions. Is a lack of political correctness exacerbating our differences?

One person’s view of political correctness can be another’s view of dividing us and even racism. Is there a middle ground? When someone says they are not being politically correct, are they using words to divide us? It is certainly possible that someone, using politically incorrect language, is not trying to divide, but just to express their views.

Recently a politician, who happens to be a Muslim, used words that were taken as a complaint against a political action committee (PAC), which supports the state of Israel. She was accused of being anti-Semitic by politicians from both sides. Some even called for her ouster in congress. A member of congress complained about a PAC and she was vilified. So, to many, free speech is allowable, until you say something I don’t agree with. What happened to the idea that we don’t have to be politically correct?

If someone complains about the state of Israel, does that mean they are anti-Semitic? If that logic is correct, then when someone complains about America, that would mean they are anti-American. If an American citizen wears a hijab does that mean they are not loyal to America? If that is true, does that mean than an American citizen that wears a Yarmulke (skull cap) is also not loyal to America?

It’s hypocritical when individuals or groups espouse that it is acceptable to not be politically correct, and then they complain when someone else does the same thing? You could say that not being politically correct is acceptable – providing your ox is not being gored. Maybe it really depends upon who or what group is being complained about. If only one side has the freedom to criticize, then the freedom does not exist.

There is often a fine line between free speech, political correctness and offensive language. While some may find one’s remarks offensive, others may find the same remarks informing and educational. The ability to criticize without offending is important, but not always possible. Sometimes the offence is found in the messenger, not the message. Additionally, sometimes the message is meant to divide, rather than inform.

We should always remember that we have different views and it is alright to disagree. We are a nation that values individualism. Yes, we are divided, it is not the first, nor will it be the last time. The question we are not asking is, why? Our leaders are supposed to unite us – not divide us.

"You don't lead by hitting people over the head - that's assault, not leadership." Dwight D. Eisenhower