Common decency and respect have become endangered species. You can see it with the regular individuals in your community, but it tends to be magnified when you see it live on television.
Some Democrats showed they have no respect for other people on the opening night of their national convention. When the Rev. Cynthia Hale gave the prayer and urged the Almighty to bless the effort to nominate Hillary Clinton as the liberal presidential candidate, she was rebuffed with booing. Here’s what she said to prompt the anger:
“We have an opportunity, oh God, to give undeniable evidence to our commitment to justice and equality by nominating Hillary Rodham Clinton as our candidate for the highest office in the land.”
Maybe you agree with what she’s saying, and maybe you don’t, but to interrupt someone’s right to prayer with booing followed by chants of support for Bernie Sanders is just plain rude. You might not agree with what someone’s saying, but the decent thing to do is let that person finish before you express disagreement.
There are plenty of people in America who would prefer Clinton’s nomination not be blessed, but to team up and bully a holy leader right in the middle of the prayer shows a lack of class, and that will hurt any Democratic nominee running for the office. It shows a party trying to regain majority status in both houses of Congress that cannot abide dissenting opinions and will rise up to silence them, and that is not a good way to sway voters.
When I’ve attended events where there is a prayer, people usually stay quiet while it is given. If there is an offensive part to the prayer, there’s no harm in disagreeing with it—after its recitation. I see nothing wrong with saying to a group of friends, “I didn’t think that prayer was appropriate.” However, the way to be seen as classy—as a good person—is to let the opposition have their say, then have your say, and let people judge for themselves.
Considering the Democratic National Convention has already been marred by scandal with the leaked Democratic National Committee emails, the last thing you want to do is follow up something bad with more bad behavior. Democrats are quick to jump on Donald Trump and paint him as childish, but you don’t present a more palatable alternative when you behave like immature brats.
It’s obvious neither party is completely unified, and it’s going to take more than holding hands and singing “Kumbaya” to repair our fractured society. Continuing to devolve, though, will widen the fractures and help to turn the United States of America into a contradiction in terms. Enjoy your right to free speech, but show you have the capacity to exercise it responsibly.
Rural Roots and American Rainbows 