“Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfortable”
by Randy Gage
If you’re an American, you have probably just gone through the most extraordinary week of your lifetime. And what makes it the most extraordinary week you’ve ever lived, is the fact that you probably didn’t even realize this week was different than any other. (And for you readers in other countries, your week may have just been slightly less impactful. Although if you live in the UK, perhaps more so.)
What makes this last week so astonishing?
The fact that some shocking, dangerous, and immoral events took place, and no one even blinked. Think about this.
- The Washington Post published “THE AFGHANISTAN PAPERS A secret history of the war.” This multi-year investigation, conducted by getting thousands of documents released through freedom of information lawsuits, reveal how three presidents (George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump) and their military and diplomatic enablers falsified documents, hid evidence, and lied to the American people about the war. There was Twitter outrage for ten minutes and everyone moved on to the next Baby Yoda meme.
- A couple days ago, the president of the United States of America admitted he used his non-profit charity to pay business debts and promote his political campaign. If this had occurred with any earlier president (Democrat or Republican), it would have brought an immediate death to their political career. Their own party’s leadership would have condemned their behavior and demanded their resignation. But today, there is a leadership vacuum in the political parties. The whole story was drowned out in the next news cycle 30 minutes later.
- Because three children died last year from influenza while in immigration detention facilities, a group of doctors asked the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to allow volunteer doctors to vaccinate detained migrant children against the flu. The agency refused and the doctors and others protested at a facility in San Diego. Tuesday six of the protesters were arrested. This incident didn’t even register a blip on the news.
- Last night at 7 pm, for only the fourth time in more than two and a half centuries, the congress of the United States opened a hearing on Articles of Impeachment for a sitting president. The ABC, CBS, and NBC evening news shows didn’t even lead with the story. Forget for a moment whether you’re a liberal or in the red hat brigade. There was a debate on the Articles of Impeachment, and it wasn’t the top story of the day. What alternate universe are we living in?
- Just after 7 am this morning, the president sent out a tweet mocking Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist. While behavior like that from President Trump can no longer shock anyone, at the time I am writing this, more than 75,000 of his followers have “liked” the tweet. What kind of person must you be to like a tweet from a 71-year-old political figure mocking a teenager with autism?
We have become so immune, so inoculated, so desensitized that depravity, immorality, and injustice doesn’t even register with us. It is unable to pierce the white noise we’re surrounded with.
How can this much stuff happen in seven days and it’s just another week? When did we become untethered to kindness, decency, and justice? This collective throwing up of hands and shrugging of shoulders is killing our soul. We’re so busy chasing Instagram likes that we’re blind to immorality. We have time for celebrity gossip news, but none for real journalism. We’re so desperate to further our own political viewpoint that we now believe it is acceptable behavior to demonize those with other views.
Can we please rethink this?
I know I have to do better. Like you, I’m passionate about my beliefs. (And sometimes have a hard time understanding that good people can have opposing views.) Too often I stoop to the snarky clapback, quick judgment, or a failure to empathize.
As I watched the rancorous, partisan and petty bickering in the impeachment hearing last night, I came to a revelation. One development the founding fathers had no way to factor in was today’s social media platforms. With Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, every person on earth has the opportunity to be a broadcast network. A citizen journalist, but without having to know anything about journalism. If we all really have become broadcasters, it would behoove us to learn something about the role of a free press.
In what started as political humor in 1893, Chicago Evening Post journalist and humorist Finley Peter Dunne introduced an Irish bartender character named Mr. Dooley, to his readers. (Think of Dooley as the original Archie Bunker prototype.) One of the gifts that Mr. Dooley left us, is something that has become the unofficial mantra for the role of enlightened journalists everywhere:
“To comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
Just as politicians, celebrities and media outlets have the power to create trends, empower change and influence minds — so do each of us. How often are we using it to comfort the afflicted, the speak for those with no voice, to stand for those who have no one else standing for them? And doing so with respect, civility, and empathy? I have to do better. I hope you’ll join me.
Peace,
- RG
Originally published at https://www.randygage.com on December 12, 2019.
