In his commencement speech on May 19 at Brandeis University, renowned filmmaker Ken Burns identified the real culprit in the poisonous mix of tribal polarization in our nation: us.
We are the enemy of racial, religious and cultural harmony in our not so united country. We expend unproductive time demonizing “others,” those people who think, look and act differently.
We find ourselves shackled by self-imposed chains and barriers, unwilling to see the goodness of others who simply disagree with us. They become “them.” They become our enemies. If friends and family, they become estranged, emotionally, if not physically pushed aside.
I am guilty too. I wish it wern’t so. But truth hurts.
In email traffic with treasured friends, politics emerges as a treacherous battleground. When right-wing friends offer their conservative thoughts to me, I sometimes lash out. I add fuel to an already boiling cauldron of opposing perspectives.
I regret my angry response. I fail to respect another viewpoint. I forsake my predilection for civility. I set a verbal trap for myself and find it inescapable momentarily. I first apologize to myself and then to my friend.
Tribal thoughts enslaved me. I added to the destructive dialogue that engulfs our country.
In his 21-minute speech, Burns said, “But it is clear as individuals and as a nation, we are dialectically preoccupied. Everything is either right or wrong, red state or blue state, young or old, gay or straight, rich or poor, Palestinian or Israeli, my way or the highway.
“Everywhere we are trapped by these old, tired binary reactions, assumptions, and certainties.”
“Othering” is a national disease as insufferable as a pandemic. It afflicts the soul. It hardens sensitivities. It blocks us from listening and liking. It is easier to hate and harass. We find it difficult, if not impossible to understand and respect a person who dares to voice a political or cultural opinion that conflicts with ours.
Consequently, we isolate ourselves. Our tribal connections strengthen. Our ties to proponents of counter-arguments weaken. We fail to build or sustain relationships.
If one listens, wisdom does flow from commencement speeches, a rite of passage for graduates, their parents, siblings and friends. I enjoy them. The candor is refreshing.
I listened to Burns on YouTube. He hit a home run for this oft-impatient consumer of information.
As a filmmaker of documentaries such as “The Civil War,” “Benjamin Franklin,” “Hemingway,” “The Viet Nam War” and “Baseball,” he understands our imperfect human condition.
Good and bad.
Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. After 44 years in Easton, Howard and his wife, Liz, moved in November 2020 to Annapolis, where they live with Toby, a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel who has no regal bearing, just a mellow, enticing disposition.
Bob Moores says
So true, but it was never this bad before Trump. I could talk politics with my brother and son-in-law before Trump came on the scene. Now, in order to preserve our good relations we have agreed to avoid politics. Something is different now. Trump has made hatred and divisiveness, the them-vs-us syndrome, fashionable.
David A Turner says
Howard (and Bob Moores, too),
You two have strengthened Ken Burns’ message to those college graduates by offering your family and personal examples. I’m a solid conservative who doesn’t vote Trump and have always found myself most comfortable with my liberal friends. I’ve some experience at this. I was born and raised in Austin (the lefty heart of Texas) and fought hard as a teen for Goldwater in ’64. Uphill.
But like an amphibian I constantly attempt to perfect my “open-mind” and listening skills because it is my life to swim with the libs and walk with the right. It was also an essential skill in my career as a government-employee speechwriter in DC for decades.
A current example of a topic that requires extremely delicate handling is the destruction or removal of southern and Confederate memorials. It’s is truly a matter of the heart for many southerners and non-southern conservatives. Interestingly, RFKII astonished the political scene when he said last week he was personally saddened by the destruction of these monuments during the George Floyd-murder period two years ago. I never thought a Bostonian or Kennedy would say anything so open minded on this subject. At the same time, it is a matter of social justice for liberals anxious to support African American concerns about our culture and history. Wouldn’t you like to hear Ken Burns thoughts on the repercussions of this debate?
What a bear. Thanks for your thoughts.