One of my Face Book friends posts mostly pictures of his wife and the marvelous food she prepares in a tiny kitchen, plus pictures of them enjoying their balcony garden in their Oslo apartment. He asked me upon learning of the attack on Congress, "What is going on?" First, as best as I can, I relate my own journey in coming to my viewpoint. Then how I see what brought about the break into the Capitol by racist extremist groups. Finally, I write about my eventual optimism for the future.
From five years old, I felt the privilege of living in the United States was uncertain for me and my family. My paternal Grandmother said it was not a good idea for a nation to be wealthy because other nations will be jealous and attack us. A maternal grandmother who worked in Washington DC said that the government was in a very bad way during the Kennedy administration. She was a Republican and sure very soon the United States would completely fall apart from the way the Democrats behave. Spending, Spending and spending. At home I was traumatized because the FBI threatened deportation of my father a full naturalized citizen. My parents discussed the Loyalty Oath placed upon University of California Berkeley faculty. How a childhood friend of my father's was in prison because of his out spoken poetry and writing. It was the McCarthy Era.
Fast forward to the Spring of my Senior year in high school. Two CIA agents visited and told my mother and I that my father would be deported almost immediately. Some how father reversed the deportation at his trial and we were sort of free.
About the same time my grand father made his last visit and declared what I was learning at school did not cover the truth about China. He said maybe someday I would like to study Chinese history. I was overwhelmed for awhile. I wondered how studying alone I could understand what really happened where our scholars have missed something important. His carefulness to convey his meaning was hidden in his poetic symbolism. He gave me a two sentence myth about a dragon. The symbolism made it hard for me to understand. And my grandiose fantasy was frightening. Could a look into the future be possible to one such as me? I am not a genius by any means. I worked hard for excellent grades. How could I become knowledgeable of the key to save the world and go forth and reveal it to the world. I am nervous when I have to speak in front of a group. How could I learn the key to resolving times of famine as my grandfather wanted me to do?
As big a weight on my shoulders of imagining that I could do something significant in creating world peace it not only over whelmed me but it was irresistible to try to believe I could understand the workings of the political world even though it was seldom a topic of discussion at home during my childhood. So I collected notions with out a great amount of scholarly looking into each notion. And I am bewildered to support them in the usual political discussions that often put me in my place. I feel more normal talking to someone who can bring me to understand better.
So what is happening with the terrible inability of opposing political sides to communicate and effectively govern?
Ever since graduating from college in 1966 I observe through the lens powered by a smattering of sociology, social anthropology, the history of science, and former Portland mayor Dorothy McCullagh Lee's class on city government. I observe myths play a big part on our nation 's government. Rugged individualism was seeded by the Boston Tea Party, for example. The myth can be cleverly interpreted. History can be rewritten by extremists wanting a revolution. Myths raise emotions and are more vivid markers than factual persuasion.
Words are important in persuading us to think and take action or not. The British vaccinate by giving jabs. We say shots. When people do extremely bad things we have a separate word from bad to label them - evil. The French do not have an emotionally charged word for bad. "Mal" serves for both bad and despicable, horrid, unholy bad like the single word we have - "evil". So for very bad behavior they can't demonize others as readily as we do.
When giving a speech communication is better when considering the listener. So the choice of words will be understood as intended. If the listener to Trump before proceeding to Congress has carefully and fully planned a break into Capitol with inside information about the whereabouts of unlabeled offices that they wish to gain classified information and if they wish to take members of Congress hostage, they come with a handful of constraints. The leaders will want to interpret Trump saying "fight" as go ahead and break into the Capitol and be violent.
An important opportunity presents itself for a more complete investigation to reveal the dynamics and causes of the widening crack that has always been in our Democratic Republic. A trial, where our nation's citizens will see the workings behind the build up to the assault on the Capitol. The trial could set a positive example of opposite sides expressing themselves while also listening. A trial done in a slow sober way can enlighten us resulting in bringing our divided nation back to a functioning nation.
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