I Am Assaulted
REDUX: When the truth is assaulted, I feel it.
Editor’s Note: This was written seven years ago. It still rings true, especially in this time when it is particularly difficult to separate truth from willful falsehoods and deep fakes.
I am assaulted.
When I am told that all politicians are corrupt, I am assaulted.
When I am told that all reporters lie, I am assaulted.
When I am told our elections are rigged, I am assaulted.
When I am told our government needs to be revolutionized, I am assaulted.
When I am told that compromise is capitulation, I am assaulted.
When I am told that no one is to be believed, I am assaulted.
When I am told that facts are not to be trusted, I am assaulted.
I am assaulted by knee-jerk cynicism, willful ignorance, false equivalencies, partisan deceit and political lies.
The foundations of our American society - representative government, freedom of speech, fair and open elections and an independent press - are fundamentally good and strong.
When I see and hear people spout blanket condemnations of our system of government, our electoral process and our working press, I am assaulted.
It is 'We, the People' who have succumbed to deceit, fear and hatred.
It is "We, the People" who have demeaned or political discourse, stoked the fires of untruth and embraced the theater of celebrity over the workplace of ability.
It is "We, the People" who have elected obstructionist, anti-government representatives devoted to crippling the ability of Washington to protect citizen rights and pass legislation advancing prosperity, justice, tolerance and peace.
I can no longer tolerate the false assertion that most, if not all, politicians are devoid of character and beholden to powerful, corrupt interests. Some indeed are. Most are committed public servants seeking to advance the common good.
I can no longer tolerate the false assertion that most, if not all, journalists are deceitful and complicit in advancing a particular political ideology. Some posers are. Most are committed professionals seeking to find and report the truth.
We, the People have the responsibility and power to elect good men and women to public office. To do that we must reject those who seek power only for their own self-aggrandizement or in service to a cabal.
We, the People have the responsibility and power to seek out the truth from legitimate, credible news sources, from journalists. To do that we must reject the 'commentators' on faux news sites, blogs and social media who manipulate and distort the facts in order to advance their partisan self-interests.
No, our national government is not broken beyond repair.
No, our legitimate press is not dishonest.
No, our elections are not rigged.
No, our nation is not on the brink of collapse.
Stop the assault on truth. It is hurtful.
I agree with what you've written, David, with one exception. Elections.
Elections in the US are "one man, one vote" with the obvious exception of the president. That is a representative election, not a democratic one. It results in train wrecks like George W and Trump. The electoral college needs to go. The founding fathers thought they were being clever by taking presidential elections away from the people. What it does is to give unfair advantage to small low populated states, and with winner-take-all states isn't even representative.;
You made so much sense then, and even more today. But it’s language I fear, many won’t understand at all. That makes me sad. I can only hope America sees the light.