I found myself at a small gathering six people strong. Nothing special, just friends being social. Some of us have known each other for years, some just meeting. The one thing we all certainly had in common was a Christian faith (some of us know each other from common churches). While I have never been one for limiting my friends and acquaitances to those of the same religious persuasion (if any), I nevertheless enjoy spending time with people to whom I can relate. Who doesn't?
I cannot currently recall the context under which it was said, but at one point someone (and this someone is one of the people I knew the least of the six - one of those good friends of a good friend where paths rarely cross) said, "Hey, we're all Republicans here."
(This certainly will not be the last time that I make mention of my being the rarest of creatures: a Christian that not only does not swear allegiance to the GOP, but does more often than not vote for the more liberal of two or more choices. Please note the choice of the word liberal, not Democrat - I am and will remain an ardent independent; more on that later for sure. It is not this particular thing that brings me to recall this event, but I thought I'd provide some background nonetheless.)
With the exception of the girlfriend of the person that said this (I had just met her), I was actually sure that everyone in the room save me was indeed a Republican. This type of assumption always being a particular sore spot with me, I thought briefly to correct him. There is an understood law about social gatherings, that unless the purpose of the gathering does relate, one should never bring religion or politics into conversation. The fear is that, as is often the case, talk of those things will lead to a lot of anger and hurt feelings. So I chose to simply remaind quiet.
How strange is it that in a country that pretends to be the great example of democracy in action, talk of politics is so taboo? Stranger still is how much animosity is raised during political discussion in a nation whose political passion pales in comparison to other countries. Despite its status as a United States territory, Puerto Rico - my birthplace - seems to share very little in its political environment with its caretaker. In this sense it is still very much a Hispanic nation. You do not need to know much about the Latin world to know that passion and politics are inseparable. Elections bring people not only to the voting booths but to the streets. Whether your candidate wins or loses, the emotion expressed will be extreme. Campaigning itself is a thousand times more heated, personal, vicious than what passes for debate here. But it is not only the Spanish and occasionally Portuguese-speaking world. One need only spend 2 weeks in Europe as I did to detect a definite political fever in the air, even outside of an election year. Certainly there is no better example than in Greece, whose status as the birthplace of democracy would I think surprise a lot of Americans. Politics is not only taboo, it is essential. If you need further proof of this, check out the statistics on who is actively partcipating in democracy by voting; the US is shamed every time.
So how is it that I can remember so many political discussions family without the acrimony? Coups aside, if political discourse leads to such ill-will in the relatively ambivalent United States, how is it that these heated debates did not more often lead to bloodshed in other parts of the world? These people were absolutely fervent about their position. And yes, there was yelling. But there was no fear of offense, of social discomfort. Politics was a reality that these people embraced absolutely and completely. But these people were also friends and family, and when politics was not the topic of conversation, they behaved like the best of friends and family.
That sense of friendly rivalry is not one I can find in our political climate. Certainly the circumstances of our age have led to a particularly fractured climate - would you compare the political outlook of people in the roaring 20's and the 1960's on the same scale? But then again, the political world of these other nations cannot be often described as stable. The question of independence or statehood is and will continue to be at the heart of Puerto Rican political discourse. Europe is forced daily to consider the advantages and disadvantages of the EU. Take the most fanatical of Republicans and Democrats, put them in a room, and ask yourself whether or not they'll come out of there as best friends.
The central problem may be that the holding of a strong opinion is something that those of other countries can admire and respect even in those who strongly disagree. It seems like the only way civility can be the rule of law in the United States is through either apathy or silence. You need not look further than our present day to find how dissent is treated in this country - You're either with us or against us. There are some that might think that this is the only way a democracy can be successful, particularly one that has very imperialistic impulses. While it can be argued that one-sided democracy is the only way to perpetuate empire, dissent as treason strikes me as terribly dangerous domestically. This is the political climate we foudn ourselves in today. Maybe if more people overcome their fear of politics, we will learn to appreciate the passion of our opponents by being forced to acknowledge their existence. After all had our founding fathers never given voice to dissent, we may not have the any democracy to call our own today.
Yeah, fifty gallon drum
That's what I'm talking about
- Buck 65, "Fifty Gallon Drum"
Posted by Joel at 9/05/2005 12:52:00 AM
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