One Individual’s Euro-Take on US Politics

January 16, 2017 Sociocultural Issues No Comments

Democrats are losing in the US and together with them: rationality, empathy, tolerance, equality, freedom…??

I’m a progressive European. So I probably feel more ‘democratic’ than ‘republican’ in US parlance. In any case, it’s unfortunate that the divide between both becomes ever more pronounced. Worse still:

This is a divide that more and more becomes apparent in the whole West and even worldwide.

This is about us all. However, US politics is exemplary. Though of course it’s about much more than this, allow me to put some words to my list of five ‘losses’:

As to rationality

Democrats may seem more to be like ‘airy feelers’, not having both feet on the ground but instead in some philosophical weirdy-word kind of place. Are republicans more down-to-earth, thus starting from more rational ground, getting to life-as-it-is? Are democrats already lost ‘in virtual reality’? Well, they are evolving with the whole of Western culture. Take it or leave it. One can stay behind. That is rational?

As to empathy

Republicans seem to be more empathic with the own kin. That’s human. So they see democrats as betraying the own kin. Democrats thus may sound non-patriotic, even not respectful of one’s own family, community… The more so when democrats try to show how empathic they are as to what ‘empathy’ means to them. It backfires.

As to tolerance

Democrats seem to be very tolerant but then why are they not tolerant to the core values that republicans want to preserve? To be tolerant, you need to listen and understand what you are tolerant about. So if you want to be tolerant towards your fellow-citizens – as starters – please listen very well!

As to financial equality

Like many, I also thought that more underprivileged people voted republican. It’s not the case. In addition, the republican ‘way of being’ seems to strive more towards bigger inequality, or at least to a state of affairs that has this as direct consequence. This state may be grounded in a sense of responsibility. Good!. However, this also entails responsibility for the taking of responsibility by others. If this might go too far for you, then please try harder. In any case, if the end result needs to be more financial inequality, then there is something rotten.

As to freedom

Freedom is one of the most valuable human assets. In view of the pending A.I.-flooding, this will become even much more relevant. Happily, democrats and republicans both seem to be all in for freedom. It seems to me, again, that there needs to be more listening to ‘the other party.’ There will never be freedom without discussing who, where, what… In plain logic: the discussion is about what the discussion is about.

I think that in the end, democrats and republicans need to understand each other much better.

Is this a democratic stance?

Surely, republicans are not an anti-rational, anti-empathic, anti-tolerant, anti-equality, anti-freedom bunch of people. They have another take on these issues. Meanwhile, the divide is hurtful. At the same time, there is a widespread abuse of it by politicians.

Demo-cracy = literally: people-power,

whether by vote or otherwise. Demo-cracy should come first, not power to abusers but to the people and more precisely: to each and every total person.

The people have no power if they have no inner power. In the end, democracy is as worthwhile as the depth of each and every individual voter.

A shallow society is not a very democratic one.

A deep society is.