Last Night I was talking to my mom and she called Barack Obama a socialist. We proceeded to attempt to discuss some of his policies and why it may or may not be helpful to label the president. :) I love mom. You never wonder what she is thinking.
Once, when I was visiting her and my brother she was talking about Sean Hannity, and my brother started saying, "Sean Hannity is an idiot." And my mom said, "No he isn'." And they went back and forth and back and forth. Did I mention that this was on the way to the airport to drop off my brother? It was. They kept going. Seriously. He has a PHD in Philosophy and my mom has been a small business owner for 30-some years; they are both intelligent, etc. "He is an idiot." "No, he isn't." Not yelling, but voices are getting heated. Then we pull up. "I love you Mom", "I love you too honey, have a safe flight!". End of discussion.
Tonight, at On Tap we are discussing Health Care. I know right... SO PREDICTABLE! Did you know that Town Hall meetings about this have ended in fist-fights? I would promise no fist fights tonight, but I do not know who is coming. Hopefully the moderator will be able to exert control when needed!
What if we had a mutually edifying discussion towards parties? What if people on all sides learned from one another? What if tonight's On Tap was able to offer dignity to everyone in the room's opinion, regardless of the decibel level they are able to reach? I think that that would be just as amazing, just as redemptive in some ways, as if the health care system could be "fixed". Can I encourage you to come and learn at tonight's On Tap, even if you haven't "kept up" with the issue? By the way, the world is having a mild crisis relative to the reality of 24-hour news... So, everyone probably feels a little left out! Can I encourage you to come to On Tap tonight if you know the issue well - maybe you can help people understand it better - and to do that carefully but clearly? Can I encourage you to argue with people tonight - but to do it in a respectful, even humble way? Not by saying "With all due respect", but by meaning it and at the same time clearly calling out the different perspectives in the room?
I'm finished with my "encouragements". I know I should have probably said "may", but who knows the rules of language on a blog anyway?
A couple of primers: What does it say about our culture and America that this has dominated the news the way that it has? Ought people to vote their conscience as an individual or as a citizen? (I don't mean to make those two exclusive unnecessarily). I hope you are able to join our discussion tonight at Llywellyn's in WG, at 7:00
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