The Heart of the Manner
While I sit here trying to shake off the dirty feeling I still have after watching the American presidential debate (if you can even call it that), I’m trying to find words to articulate why I am so disturbed by it.
Like a boxing match, or horror movie, I was nauseated, nervous and troubled and had to mute it a few times just to regain my composure. I kept thinking to myself “Is this really the world we live in? Where the president of the United States can bully and berate his opponent, while being unsuccessfully scolded by a highly professional journalist and moderator, for all the world to see?” Sadly, the answer is yes.
And it is really, really sad. It’s sad that there are people who will turn a blind eye to this behaviour in order to push through their agendas. It’s sad that the networks will air it because, you know, ratings. It’s sad that supporters will condone this behaviour because they think it’s tough talk (I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a large portion of Trump supporters are not college educated).
You don’t have to like Joe Biden. You don’t have to like Democrats, or their policies. But if human decency matters to you, then letting this become even remotely the norm should be unacceptable.
These days it seems that the grey area between norms and rules and laws has become even greyer. And leadership starts from the top, so when the people who are supposed to be leading by example act like schoolyard bullies (or just complete assholes) they are sending a message that it’s acceptable for others to do the same.
Trump’s “way of doing things” has broken norms and rules and even some laws. I am so much more disturbed by the message he has sent with his actions and behaviour than any of his executive orders or bills.
Just when we think we’ve hit bottom, things seem to dip to a new low. I’m scared because if we’ve learned anything this year, things can always get worse. And one thing that I believe is much more deadly than the spread of the coronavirus is the spread of hate, bullying and racial intolerance.
While Donald Trump is currently the bully with the biggest megaphone, there are unfortunately people like him all around. And though as Canadians we’re somewhat powerless in unseating him, we each have influence in our own lives to quiet the bullies. Sometimes our nice Canadian nature prevents us from stirring up conflict (I’m the queen of avoiding it), but there is a time and a place and a way to stand up and tell people when what they are saying or what they are doing is wrong. And maybe leading from the bottom is the only way we will all rise up (or else we’re all going to hell!)