I dreamt about President Obama last night. There was some big gala, and for some reason I was there (maybe I had found the cure of cancer or something; or maybe his girls had a lisp and I was the chosen one; I can’t remember). I was wearing a prom gown or some similar poufy-bottomed dress. I couldn’t tell you the color of it, just that I was rocking it. Based on my taste, it might have looked something like this:
Cute, right? :)
The gala was upstairs. You had to take this long flight of stairs to get there. It looked a lot like a loft of some sort. There were tons of people there, but I wasn’t with anyone I knew. President Obama and his wife were milling around the dinner, talking to people and schmoozing as is their responsibility at such events. At one point, I had the brief opportunity to talk to Mrs. Obama. I don’t know what I said to her, but I’m sure it was really nice.
Suddenly I wasn’t at the gala anymore. I was somewhere else. I changed clothes to more of my normal, comfy attire. The gala was still going on, and I really wanted to greet President Obama. I knew the event was almost over, so I hurried back up the stairs to find him. I remember thinking that I wasn’t really dressed appropriately anymore, but I didn’t care and didn’t think he would either.
When I got back up to the gala, most of the people had left. In the corner, President Obama stood, with a small group of people standing around him, still talking. The Secret Service guys weren’t in my dream, so either they were hidden really well, or my dream wasn’t really spot on. One of the two; probably the second one. I figured there was still a chance I might catch President Obama after he was done talking with the remaining guests. I decided to make my way over and stand by the group, hoping for a chance to shake Mr. President’s hand.
And now to the part of my dream that really matters. Well, matters because it gets to where I’m going with this post. Took me long enough, right?
As I waited, I mulled over in my head what I wanted to say to President Obama. I knew that if I got a chance to talk to him, it would likely be very brief. I wanted to know what I was going to say, to make it count, to be prepared.
And what I decided to say to the President in my dream is probably what I’d actually say to him in real life if I ever met him.
It was something like this: “I’m very honored to get to meet you, Mr. President. I just wanted you to know that I didn’t vote for you. However, I’m full of respect for you and I know you’re working hard as our president. Thank you. And also, I’m sorry there are people out there who are mean to you and have nothing but disrespectful things to say about you. That isn’t right, but too many people get too much pleasure out of bashing others. I also want you to know that I pray for you and your family, as well as the USA every single day. I hope you feel the prayers of people just like me all over America. Just thought you should know.”
I mulled over my mini monologue in my head as I dreamt, but before I knew it, President Obama had to wrap up talking with the people in the corner and I never got my turn to talk to him. It all turned out all right, because it was only a dream. Even if I had spoken to him, it wouldn’t have mattered. It didn’t really happen.
It’s what does really happen that’s been on my mind lately. What happens is many people, who vehemently disagree with another person, particularly in the political arena, think that their (possibly valid) feelings of disagreement give them free license to talk about that person in whatever manner they want. It irritates me so much, I tell you. My heart rate is rising as I type this. Oh it drives me UP THE FREAKIN’ WALL!!!!!
My mom likes to listen to conservative talk radio Rush Limbaugh and NPR. (All I have to say about this is: at least it’s not Dr. Laura!) I’ve never really been a fan, but I’ve tried to tolerate it when she’s driving. I absolutely love a lot of the points those guys make. I’m a huge fan of small government and am appalled and unhappy about many, many things that are happening in our government today. The direction we are moving in as a nation is, in my opinion, absolutely not the right one. And a lot of these radio talk show guys believe that, too. It can be insightful to listen to them.
But.
But many times, way too often for my comfort, they take an inappropriate approach to speak rudely and disrespectfully about those with whom they disagree. I disagree with a vast majority of liberal beliefs myself, but calling liberals “idiots” and telling them to “get their heads out of their butts” and so on and so forth is simply ridiculous. It’s rude. It makes the speaker look rude. And it takes away from the (in my opinion, valid) points they are trying to make.
If a point is worth making, if you believe it strongly enough to stake your flag in it, there should be no need to trash talk those who disagree. To talk like a bully doesn’t lend credibility to your point. Rather the opposite, in fact.
I cannot stand it when people bash our presidents. I couldn’t stand it when they did it to presidents I did vote for and I can’t stand when they do it to President Obama. My political persuasions don’t change my belief that it’s wrong to mock another person. That it does no favors to one’s point to try to tear down another with the opposite viewpoint. Calling President Bush a “big jackass” is just as inappropriate as calling President Obama a “big jackass.”
Of course, I’ve been on the receiving end of this kind of speech, too. People who don’t hold conservative viewpoints like myself often think it’s fair game to ridicule those who do. Referring to those who fall to the right, politically, as “narrow minded, Bible banging, greedy folk” just serves, in my opinion, to make the person saying that look bad. I’ve never understood why some people feel the need for such language. If you really think you’re right, shouldn’t it be enough to state your viewpoint, speak politely, and leave it at that? Deteriorating into trash talking rarely sways one to the other side, I would think.
I’ve always been a rather polite person who tries pretty hard to keep my foul language in check (admittedly, lately I haven’t been doing so hot in this area; I guess I spent too much time with those foul mouthed doctors in Mexico). Regardless, swearing all the time is the antithesis of my faith. As I grow and hopefully mature, I’m finding such talk less and less acceptable. I’ve started to just tune it out. In “religious” circles, plenty of mud slinging goes on, too. For example, I am horrified by abortion and killing an unborn baby is never okay in my book. However, never would I be okay with calling someone of a Pro-Choice persuasion a “baby killer.” It’s inflammatory, derogatory and is not, in my opinion, the right way to get someone to consider my way of thinking.
Yes, we need to be bold about our faith and our political beliefs, but we also need to be kind and respectful about it, too. I am not one of those people who feel religion and politics are taboo topics. I don’t get the whole secrecy behind telling others who we voted for. If I believe in someone enough to vote for them, or not, as President of our great nation, why on earth would it not be appropriate for me to tell others what I did on my ballot? I can even tend to be sarcastic when I talk about certain topics. But as a believer in Jesus, I think it is imperative that we don’t water down our faith or our opinions by avoiding talking about it, that we speak loudly and with confidence about our belief in a Savior who came to die for everyone.
I simply don’t think that translates into the call to speak rudely or use name calling when describing others who don’t believe with us. That’s all.
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