Come next Tuesday we will know who will be our next President. The many comments, debates, sound bytes, political rallies, e-mails and stump speeches will mercifully come to an end. I, like most Americans, want this process to end and for us to move on with life. But can we? This political campaign has had most of us probing the deeper meanings of race, gender, privilege, safety, democracy and the direction of this country. An icon of the civil right’s movement, John Lewis, equates some of John McCain’s political rallies as reminiscent of the 1960s rhetoric exposed by the devout racist George Wallace. Then too, on the other side of the political spectrum, right wing conservatives adamantly believe that Barack Obama is a Marxist and that his policies will lead to a redistribution of wealth, thus chaos. Among other sound bites and events, we have been subjected to:
-Issues of identity politics
-Lipstick on a pig
-The Reverend Jeremiah Wright
-Quotes about mean spirited Americans
-Paling around with terrorists
-Senility
-Ageism
-Joe the plumber
-The cost of a candidate’s wardrobe
-Being proud of America for the first time
-Questions about whether a candidate can be both a vice president and a mother
-Questions if wearing a flag pin on one’s lapel is as important as the beliefs one holds in his heart
-Questions about special needs children and abortion rights
-Questions about “Is he black enough?”
-Is she too pretty?
-Is he Muslim?
-Single parenthood
-New definitions of feminism
Think about these aforementioned statements for a moment. America’s greatest asset -free speech can also function as its greatest adversary. These statements speak to our fundamental sensitivities about race, gender, privilege and safety.
With these statements, both political campaigns have moved dangerously away from ideas to sound bytes and rhetoric. Nothing may be terribly wrong with rhetoric except that significant challenges are on the horizon for whoever lays claim to the office of president. Why rhetoric and not ideas you may ask? Rhetoric, particularly the type mentioned previously, is used to simplify our world. The psychology of it all is that in order to understand the world around us we strive to simplify the world based on our need for order and safety.
We typically focus on the facts, images and sound bytes that are more personal (race, gender, privilege and order) and cast the more complex ones to the side. Complex ideas, such as information on the tax codes, Medicare, the cause of the economic down turn, reusable fuel, and the cause and cost of the war, can be bewildering for many of us so the complex ideas and ideals are reduced to a personalized picture with a minute-size message that sums up our fears. For example, review the list above and read claims made of Jeremiah Wright and the resurrection of George Wallace.
What guide the message are our sensitivities, our fears and our need for order. Our inner sensitivities are that which we use to screen and appraise the complex events that we encounter. Thus, to a large degree, our inner sensitivities determine what we will conclude and how we will resolve our fears and our need for order. Politicians understand our psychological need for safety and order. They understand, all too well, that what is important in gaining our confidences and thus our votes is finding the right button to push for each situation and doing what it takes to modify our perceptions.
However flawed, this strategy is proving to be very effective in getting the votes out. Voter registration and early voting have reached record highs. The danger, though, with the politics of race, gender, privilege and order is that these messages are opening up some very deep wounds. I firmly believe that the politics of race, gender, and privilege will continue to elevate strong emotions in our community for some time to come. It is my hope that we can find a spiritual ground leading to healing and to a broadening of our understanding of all human beings, even those symbolized in the list above.
Louis P. Anderson, PhD.