Be aware, this talking point may become even more of an important part of social/political discourse this election season.
act like those they claim to loathe.
On the right we had New York Police Benevolent Association President Mike O’Meara who claimed we are trying “to shame” police. Shame them into stop shooting people, especially targeting blacks. Shame police into understanding why holding someone’s knee down on a neck for over 8 minutes until they DIE is beyond wrong. Shame them into behaving as if they deserve the respect they get. Stop stopping and killing people driving while black, selling cigarettes while black, passing a bogus bill he probably had no idea was counterfeit. Stop defending execution by police.
Almost at the same time, supposedly on the left, “Stop trying to shame us into voting for Joe Biden!”
But I can’t ‘shame’ you.
You can’t ‘shame’ me.
We can allow ourselves to feel shame, and sometimes maybe we should. I doubt there has ever been a human ever born, or hatched, who shouldn’t have felt shame for at least one thing they’ve done. The choice is theirs. Sometimes shame is a good thing. Shows we are human. Have a conscience. Not a narcissist. Not a sociopath. Not like some of the worst leaders humanity has ever had.
Having yet to meet a person that was hatched I am open to the suggestion maybe in that regard I am wrong.
And, just in case, let’s be clear. Like love actually means sometimes you say you’re sorry, saying you’re sorry doesn’t mean one feels shame. It means recognizing the possibility ANYONE can be wrong. It’s a sign of maturity. Not being able to say it could mean many things.
In any discussion, any debate, we both make observations and conclusions. Example: a picture of Joe Biden acting chummy, or shaking hands, with Joseph McCarthy is used to claim he is of bad character. I counter with how RFK enabled McCarthy. I add the question, “Does that mean everything he did after was worthless, or tainted?” Another example would be Robert Byrd. Yes, he was part of the Klan, but framers conveniently skip he denounced the Klan later and legislated against them.
We are attempting to use logic and framing. Perfectly legit as long as we don’t start calling each other names, or framing each other in nasty ways.
There’s no shame to any of this.
What exactly IS the point to arguing “you’re trying to shame me?” Basically ordering people to “shut the hell up?” And couldn’t one argue “shut up” could be defined as an attempt to shame?
But remember…
I can’t ‘shame’ you.
You can’t ‘shame’ me.
We can allow ourselves to be shamed, and sometimes maybe we should.
So no matter what anyone says in the upcoming election…
We have every right to vote Biden.
We have every right to vote Bernie.
We have every right to vote Trump.
We have every right not to vote. Why would anyone have to feel shame for not voting? I personally recommend you vote, but that’s not my point here. The whole idea that someone who didn’t vote has no right to complain is pretty un-American, isn’t it? Isn’t that covered by free speech, freedom of belief?
Yes, I always vote, but not my point.
If you come to the realization you could be wrong, that your tactics may have been over the top, that’s good: no shame to it. In fact it’s something to be proud of: you’re THINKING, not knee jerking. Many of out political and social discourse problems these days are caused by our inability, our refusal, to think outside of the politically correct boxes we have locked ourselves into.
But NO ONE needs be a sheeple and feel shame.
Now, are people who cry “stop trying to shame us/me” when someone challenges them to think out of their box trying to shame them into shutting up? I’ll leave that assessment to you, Dear Reader.
-30-
Inspection is a column that has been written by Ken Carman for over 40 years. Inspection is dedicated to looking at odd angles, under all the rocks, and into the unseen cracks and crevasses, that constitute the issues and philosophical constructs of our day: places few think, or even dare, to venture.
©Copyright 2020
Ken Carman and Cartenual Productions
all rights reserved