Episode 48 | Violence begets More of the Same

Let it be said very clearly that political violence does not belong in a functioning democracy. Let it also be said that if our democracy were functioning, it would neither be fomented nor tolerated.

What happened at the White House Correspondent’s dinner was wrong. And how might we examine it as a shadow aspect of what happens when unchecked anger guides our behavior? James Baldwin once wrote, “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost all of the time.” How that applies today is that if we are relatively conscious, we likely feel some rage at what is happening in our country. Anger can be informative and activating, but as we have seen, it can also be dangerous.

It feels more important than ever to greet our anger with curiosity and compassion, to let it fuel desires for change in positive ways rather than destructive ones.

For further reading:

1. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/correspondents-dinner-shooting-suspect-wrote-about-grievances-against-trump-and-targeting-administration-officials

2. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-recent-political-violence-in-the-u-s-fits-into-a-long-dark-history