Disrespect - A New Political Strategy

Last week, during the public posing and political posturing of parents being encouraged to keep junior home from school because the President was going to speak, I made a statement that elicited some friendly discussion. I wondered about the loss of respect for the President in this country. The debate continued for a couple of days on my Facebook page, and all of us had the opportunity to make our case clearly. I was satisfied and ready to leave the subject.

My original point was that it seemed disrespectful to refuse to allow our children to listen to the President. I thought about all the Presidents I could remember from my past. I recall that whenever the President spoke, it was always a big deal. Our family would stop down whatever we were doing and listen.

Political debate was never an issue in our house until I got old enough to argue about the legitimacy of the Vietnam War. I can vaguely remember my parents expressing concern about President Kennedy being Catholic and the fear that he would be open to orders from the Vatican. However, that did not happen and reports of his lifestyle indicate that he was not a very good Catholic. We were still taught to respect the man and I can clearly recollect the genuine grief felt by everyone on the day he was killed.

My politically formative years were dominated by the Presidency of Richard Nixon. Those who start their list of worst Presidents with either Bush or Obama have quickly forgotten about Nixon. He left office with the claim, "I am not a crook!" My dislike came from having to say goodbye to many of my high school friends who were marched off to Vietnam under Nixon’s command. Some of them did not come back, giving their lives for a war we never understood. However, if Nixon would have addressed the schools, every one of us would have listened with no thought of boycott.

We see and hear the President speak much more frequently today, so when he makes a speech it is not such a big deal. I will not change my schedule to hear what he has to say since I can listen to it later at a more convenient time. But, keeping children home from school lest they hear the man is nothing but disrespect. This new disrespect goes far beyond boycotting a speech and is seen in the way people talk and the attitudes expressed about the President. What happened to our admiration for our President?

The primary response I received was that people claim they still respect the office of President but they do not respect the office holder. I have tried, but I cannot make any sense out of this argument. This is like an abusive husband saying I respect the institution of marriage but I can’t stand my wife.

My point is that it is impossible to show respect for the office and disrespect for the office holder. For example, let’s say that President Obama comes to my house for a visit. I greet him at the door, wearing some of my best stuff and invite him in. I will even put the dogs outside. He can have the best seat, we might even serve the best meal my wife can cook (she made some great pork chops and rice the other day), and we will speak to him using our best diction. I would do the same thing for any President (even Nixon) and I hope you would as well.

If our conversation included a subject on which we disagreed, we would talk civilly. I would not call him a liar (more on that later). When the evening was complete, I would shake his hand and thank him for honoring us with his presence. If you or your brother-in-law were the President, I would do the exact same thing. The only way that I can show respect for the Office of President is to show respect for the office holder.

As soon as I show disdain for the man then I show that same derision for the office. I may not like the man, I may disagree with everything he says, I may be opposed to everything he supports, I might even be appalled by his lifestyle, but if I am going to show honor to the office of President then I must not treat him disrespectfully. There are appropriate ways to show my true beliefs and feelings without being ill-mannered.

When mom and dad tell Junior that he is not going to school because a bad man is speaking to the students, they are doing much more than making a political statement to their friends at church. I was taught that when the President speaks to sit down and listen. These children are being taught that they only need to listen when it is a President they like and agree with. So much for respecting the office!

At the outset, I indicated that I was finished with this subject. I was until last night and the President spoke to the nation. About halfway through his speech, a congressman shouted out in response to a specific statement made by the President, "You lie!"

All of us, including the President, were taken by surprise. This kind of thing does not happen when the President stands before Congress and speaks to the nation. It is fine to applaud or withhold applause, write an opinion piece for the local paper, speak out on CNN in opposition, face the President in open debate, or work to defeat the President’s plan, but not to call him a liar.

In the same way, it is fine to talk with our children about why we disagree with the President, indoctrinate them in our way of thinking, show them how to be involved in the political process, but not to keep them home from school because the man is speaking. I think we should teach them to respect the man in office and if we do not like that man, show them how to work for change. That is one of the great benefits of being a citizen of this nation.

I have always been a person with strong opinions, which I don’t mind sharing when appropriate. I also have a thick enough skin that I don’t mind when others disagree. For many years I was attracted to political thought and discussion because I enjoyed debate and discussion. However, in the last couple of years I have lost interest in the political process because our debate and discussion has denigrated to little more than angry diatribes.

In a time when information is readily available, we choose to spread rumors and gossip rather than facts and evidence. We want to label people as quickly as possible so we don’t have to take them seriously. I refuse to watch cable news because I don’t have time to waste listening to people scream at each other and at me. From what I can tell, all sides are equally guilty.

This is my final paragraph and I write it fighting back tears of sorrow. The most serious problem with this entire mess is that it is often Christians who are leading the way. It is no wonder the world no longer takes the church seriously when they see church leaders and members filled with anger, calling their opponents names, unwilling to listen to any position but their own, and looking more like hate than love. We need to return to the business of loving the lost instead of castigating the opponent.

Comments

[Del]

That was well written

[Don Christensen]

Terry

I agree with you but maybe for a different reason. I believe you do treat people with respect as it says in IPeter so they will ask the reason for you hope. But i believe American Christians value being an American more than they value being a citizen of heaven, a Joint Heir with Jesus and most of all an Exile on this earth. Paul would never get caught up in civilian affairs because he viewed himself as a soldier of the Cross. The reason the Church in America is inept is in my opinion because we have misplaced priorities. It has shown up in our giving and the way we operate our Church's as businesses rather than as living spiritual organisms. We get so angry over worldly things that God is in charge of rather than focus our attention to why the Lord has us here. The President still falls under Romans 13 and therefore I will show respect even out of my disagreement on where he stands.

Sorry for the SS lesson I just needed to vent a little

Don Christensen

[Lester]

I appreciate Laura Bush's statements this week re the Pres.

[Naomi]

Again, Terry, thank you, thank you for such a wonderful posting. I really appreciated everything you said in your piece on disrespect.

I will be passing on the link to your site to several folks. I, too, am disheartened and ashamed of many of my friends who have reacted so vehemently to everything related to the president and the office. It’s good to be challenged by those we may disagree with so that we may strengthen our beliefs.

We had a staff meeting today where we prayed for the nation because of this very issue you raised in your posting.

[Debbie]

Maybe President Obama doesn’t get the respect a president should get because he surrounds himself with radicals (including his wife), and doesn’t have an original thought. He’s trying to live out what he has learned at the knee of these people. If he hadn’t taken over the auto industry, pushed through an enormous stimulous package, and now try to take over the health industry, people would be more inclined to let there children listen to the man. As soon as I heard he was going to speak to the school kids, I thought “now the kids!!!???”. It’s like from a futuristic movie, but we will have to endure the repercutions. I pray for him. I respect the office, but not the man.

[Christine]

Debbie, you didn't get it. You can't respect the office and not the man. It is one in the same. What do you mean by radicals? Why do you call his wife a readical? Could you explain that without being biased? Give some examples. The only thing coming through is your hatred. You do not make any sense. You cannot be praying for him and talking about him at the same time. Search your heart and if you seek God's perspective you will change your opinion to one that sees our president as the one whom God allowed to take that position and one whom you should pray for without prejudice. You may disagree and that's ok but what you are doing is attacking his character. It is obvious you are not portraying genuine love and concern. Truly search your heart, that is where the problem lies, with you and others, and seek God's perspective and his attitude. By the way, I didn't vote for him, but I'm learning a few things about the importance of having an attitude free of condemnation. To be frank, I'm so saddened by people like yourself who have this attitude and pass it so openly to others. What damage that causes. What type of christians are we becoming? It's no wonder the world is developing a hatred for "christians". I don't get it.

[Scare]

A wonderful article Terry. I was having a really hard time showing any respect for Mr. Obama. I did not vote for him, and my decision not to was very simple. The two easiest questions that Mr. Obama had to answer were 1)what is your stance on abortion and 2)what is your stance on same sex marriage. If you can't answer these easy questions correctly, how can I trust you to answer the real hard questions.

I do however have the respect for the office of President and I do have respect for the office holder and I do pray that God give whoever is President wisdom. The disrespect that office holders receive from other American's is because most of these office holders have made decisions and surrounded themselves with people that are not good decision makers. The United States Constitution forbids bail-outs of the private business sector, yet both political parties have done just that and to make it worse have hand picked which industries should get these dollars. If your going to vote to break the law at least do it for all the troubled businesses or do it for none. Decisions like this help me to understand why there is so much disrespect for politicians. But, we must pray for them, just like me they need God on our side.

[Lindsay]

For Terry: as always, well-spoken. You say so eloquently what is often so jumbled in my noggin. My only outstanding question is how I'm to remain in relationship with people whose myopia irritates me so.

For Scare: yes, those tricky two-issue political stances caught many "conservative Christians." You can blame Karl Rove, not God. And God forbid we should let go of the fear of encroachment by "liberals" (really, these labels have a 20th century definition only) so that we may strengthen and broaden our efforts to see restoration in areas like healthcare, poverty, climate, campaign spending, and fiscal reform. And that's just here at home.

[Tim Dahl]

Terry: Amen, and amen!

Sometimes I think we forget what it means to respect someone in general terms. I believe that to respect someone is relative to some degree. I also believe that it would be nice to make a distinction between respecting an individual and showing respect to everyone.

It seems that if someone disagrees with another then they have an excuse to treat them with disrespect. I highly disagree with this idea. I may always "respect" the office of the President; but it in no way engenders feelings of love, joy and loyalty that my High School choir director does. I my teacher out of respect born of love and common experience. I treat the President out of respect out of a sense of duty.

So, if you ever get around to it again...sometime in the next decade...maybe you can write a little bit about what it actually looks like to show others respect, especially if we don't agree with them.

Thanks,

Tim Dahl

[Terry Austin]

Tim,

I like your suggestion to discuss what it means to show respect to people, even when we disagree with them. I think I might try to tackle that some day.