And Strut About Like So Many Monsters

by Tom Shafer

February 6, 2021

Okay, so given the state of the politics of now, I have a question that I want to pose to politicians of all stripes.  Even as I word process that last sentence, I know that today’s polarity grows way beyond politics and has, like a bull in a china shop, rammed its way into every corner of our existence.  In the not too distant past, the vast majority of American humans placed their politics on a shelf and left it there, largely ignored, as they went about the process of living.  Occasionally, when necessary, they would pull it down, dust it off, and utilize it, perhaps to vote in an election or debate courteously a neighbor about the merits of a school district levy.  Unfortunately, from my perspective, those Leave It to Beaver (or for you youngsters, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) days are long behind us.

Of course, the reasons for this shift, actually seismic in reach and scope, are far ranging: the twenty-four hour news cycle, “dedicated” news networks (think FOX and MSNBC), the proliferation of social media (think Facebook and Twitter), and a contemporary culture that routinely rewards bad behavior (think Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene).  But I don’t care to expound on or explore the first three of these because frankly, that exploration will go nowhere, none of them will likely change – and I am pointing forward, hoping to influence change where I can.  And I know we can change that last one.

So, you ask, how do I know?  Because we’ve been here before – many times actually: before, during, and after the election of 1800; the Civil War and Reconstruction; the Great Depression; the Red Scare(s) and McCarthyism; social and political unrest in the 1960s; and the period surrounding the 2000 election.  All of these historical moments or periods induced societal and cultural upheaval that challenged American citizenry and our very democracy. 

Even our much revered and true Founding Father, George Washington, recognized and was compelled to deal with forces that countered the attempted good being performed by our fledgling government.  In a private letter to Henry Lee, governor of Virginia, dated 21 July 1793, President Washington wrote:

That there are in this as well as in all other countries discontented characters, I well knew, and also that these characters are actuated by very different views: some good, from an opinion that the measures of the general government are impure; some bad and if I might be allowed to use so harsh an expression, diabolical, inasmuch as they are not meant to impede the measures of that government generally, but more especially (as a great means towards the accomplishment of it) to destroy the confidence which it is necessary for the people to place (until they have unequivocal proof of dismerit) in their public servants.  For in this light I consider myself, whilst I am an occupant of office; and, if they were to go further and call me their slave, during this period, I would not dispute the point. 

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Then, on his second to last day as President, March 2, 1797, in one of his last acts, he scribed these words to his first (and the country’s) Secretary of War and much-loved fellow soldier (and hero of the American Revolution) Henry Knox:

To the wearied traveler who sees a resting place and is bending his body to lean thereon, I now compare myself, but to be suffered to do this in peace is, I perceive, too much to be endured by some. To misrepresent my motives, to reprobate my politics, and to weaken the confidence which has been reposed in my administration are objects which cannot be relinquished by those who will be satisfied by nothing short of a change in our political system. 

This is how one of our most-loved and most-respected Presidents felt about his legacy – and the prospects for our newly minted democratic republic – in the last days of his presidency.  The same George Washington who almost single handedly held the Continental Army together for eight long and challenging years during the Revolution, with little help from the Second Continental Congress – and nevertheless successfully fended off, then defeated the world’s best standing army and navy.  The same George Washington who reluctantly presided over and quietly supported ratification of the Constitution – which desperately needed Washington’s full-throated approval for credibility with the delegates and the American public.

And yet, the government, our fledgling democracy – and country – not only survived, but thrived.  We have met our challenges, not always head-on, and not always in as timely a manner as truly necessary.  But we, nevertheless, carried on, pushed on, attempting to fulfill the unflinching promise of the Preamble to the Constitution, “. . . to form a more perfect union.”

Which leads me back to my question, which is perhaps more rhetorical than clinical:

What percentage of the shit coming out of your mouth do you really believe?

I apologize for the coarse language, but coming from my brain and considering my reputation, I thought this tenor of approach would be more impactful.  Those who know me, from friends and family to former coworkers and students, know that I rarely (think almost never) use vulgarities or supposed “curse” words, a conscious choice made years ago because language use speaks to and reveals character.  And please don’t take me up on this issue: you will lose, and my record currently stands at 6,673 to 0. 

But about the question, you’ll remember that I posited it to politicians.  It might take me hours, days, years, perhaps decades to provide examples that clearly expose an unfortunate low percentage, from contradiction to misrepresentation to falsification to fabrication to outright lies.  But I don’t need to go there or even mention names of the offenders.  That number would be a large one too, on all sides of all aisles.

But I will not leave the question there.  Because I must pose it to you as well.

What percentage of the shit coming out of your mouth do you really believe?

I have to admit that I am disheartened because I fear that that number is pretty low as well.  I have heard friends parrot the words of others, and well know that those words are hollow and do not represent what my friends truly believe.  And, I have all but given up on Facebook, because it has become a space for parrots and parroted thinking.  When I was teaching, I avoided social media platforms because I didn’t want my words ever to be misconstrued or distorted in any way – or my actions and motives.  But once I retired, I made good on a promise I had made to many students, that I would join these platforms so that we could stay in touch and stay connected.  My initial enthusiasm was quickly quelled as I read statements and viewed memes that suggested misrepresentation and fabrication.  I was disappointed because some of these same former students had been willing participants in my classroom when we read and discussed philosophy, character, and truth. 

And, for me, all of this hearkens R.W. Emerson and an oration titled “The American Scholar.”  In this speech, delivered to the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Harvard College on August 31, 1837, Emerson is lamenting that not only are Americans “rushing into life,” they are also segmenting themselves and losing valuable and needed connections to their fellow men, “. . . and strut about (like) so many monsters – a good finger, a neck, a stomach, an elbow, but never a man.”

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Later, he recognizes the dangerous state of politics and societal responsibility – especially the danger of not thinking for oneself:

In this distribution of functions, the scholar is the delegated intellect.  In the right state, he is Man Thinking.  In the degenerate state, when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or, still worse, the parrot of other men’s thinking. 

So, these are not contemporary issues by any stretch of the imagination, perhaps an indication that we Americans are still struggling with our collective identity.  And maybe that’s why we are more disconnected now than at any other time in our short 245-year history – save the time period of, during, and after the Civil War. 

But that doesn’t mean we have to accept it. 

Remember, we are blessed to live here, in America.  We can’t forget that.  Extreme views, on all ends of the spectrum, do not play well in more than half of the countries of the world – and might lead to imprisonment or death.  And, we certainly shouldn’t accept these extreme notions here, particularly when we know that they are fabrications and lies.  And certainly, we should never reward bad behavior.  The stakes are much too high.

Words can be both inspiring and dangerous, and for leaders – and their followers – word choice is singularly important.   Though perceived power can be powerfully intoxicating, I still always wonder why some leaders – and their followers – choose dangerous.  And without a doubt, it is a choice.

By the way, if you were wondering, the answer to my question (the what percentage of the shit coming out of your mouth do you really believe? question) should be one hundred.  One hundred percent. One hundred percent of the time.

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