How Do I Stay Human in the Midst of Dehumanizing Rhetoric?
a peacemaker struggles with the internal war
I spent a few hours on Saturday at the Doylestown Democrat table at the farmers’ market in Doylestown, PA. It is a community gathering place from Spring to Fall. Fresh fruits and veggies, natural remedies, beverages, baked goods, pickles, flowers, and acoustic music wafting through the air. People carry their reusable bags to be environmentally conscious. It has a reputation of being a welcoming space for everyone, except during election season.
Lots of people stopped by our table, asked questions, told us why they will vote the Harris/Walz ticket, took literature, signed up to volunteer, gave smiles, hugs, thumbs up and high fives. We had small American flags and Rainbow Pride flags to hand out. It felt festive, welcoming and joyful. The other team had a table next to ours with posterboards featuring ‘Trumpaganda’, and the energy was loud and confrontational, with DT flags waving on the street corner, his voice blaring through a sound system. Because there is freedom of speech, there was nothing prohibiting them from exercising it. The repetition felt like the torture methods used to break POWs. On a few occasions, one of their volunteers got agitated with people who asked them to turn it down. The…
