ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE Politics and Civility: A Dual Reality or Civil War? BY MICHAEL TABOR
energy, the issues, and the reactions to our current social and political climate are as diverse as our farm market shoppers and our neighbor- hoods. And living in the shadow of our nation’s capital means we can UDUHO\HVFDSHWKHKRXUQHZVF\FOHRISROLWLFDOSXQGLWU\RQDQDWLRQ - al, and even international, level. I’m bombarded with both sides of the political consciousness. Keep in mind, many of my rural neighbors SUHIHUWROLVWHQWRFDVXDO'-SOD\IXO³EDQWHU´RQFRXQWU\ZHVWHUQDQG pop music stations funded by corporate and local advertisements. 5HJDUGLQJWKLVLVVXHRIGXDOUHDOLWLHVP\SHUFHSWLRQLVWKDWWKHUH¶V D VLJQL¿FDQW SRUWLRQ RI WKH FRXQWU\ WKDW LV ZLOOLQJ WR EOLQGO\ DFFHSW IDU¿JKWH[WUHPLVWQHZVSRGFDVWVDQGZKDWHYHUHOVH7UXPSDQGKLV collaborators and inner circle decide to broadcast to their public. His LQÀXHQFHDQGWKHVHQWLPHQWVKHWUXPSHWHGGXULQJKLVWHQXUHHQGXUH 0DQ\RIWKRVHOLVWHQHUVVHHPWRWDNHZKDWWKH\KHDUDVJRVSHOWUXWKDQG
)RU\HDUVQRZ,¶YHEHHQIDUPLQJLQVRXWKFHQWUDO3HQQV\OYDQLD 'XULQJZLQWHUDQGHDUO\VSULQJLVWKHWLPHRI\HDU,NLFNEDFNDQGUH - cuperate from a farm season that keeps me going twelve hours a day, VL[GD\VDZHHNLQFOXGLQJDERXWPLOHVLQP\IDUPWUXFNGHOLYHULQJ RXUSURGXFHVRXWKHDVWWRPDUNHWVLQ%DOWLPRUHDQG'& (DFKZHHNGXULQJWKHIDUPVHDVRQWKRVHPLOHV¿QGPHWUDYHO - ing through the rural areas of Hagerstown, Chambersburg, Frederick and Harrisburg on farm business. I listen to the local talk show sta- tions and the political messaging of Christian and pop radio. Sadly, conspiracy beliefs can be heard every day on those programs. They are reinforced by half-truths and outright provable lies, fueling conspira- WRULDODQGGLYLVLYHULJKWZLQJWKHRULHVDERXW'HPRFUDWVDQGOLEHUDOV 0DQ\RIP\GHFHQWDQGZHOOPHDQLQJUXUDOQHLJKERUVDOVRHPEUDFH &KULVWLDQ HQGRIGD\V EHOLHIV0DVVLYHZHDWKHU HYHQWV OLNHZLOG¿UHV WRUQDGRHVDQGÀRRGLQJDUHSHUFHLYHGDVDSRFDO\SWLFUDWKHUWKDQWKHUH - sult of climate change. Also, uncivil language on signs I never thought I’d see in the conservative rural areas is directed against adversaries. At least once a week I pass through Thurmont and Emmitsburg, where I make sure to pick up the town’s local paper. In a time when almost all regional newspapers have been bought by syndicates or FKDLQV LW LV D GHOLJKW WR UHDG HVSHFLDOO\ EHFDXVH LW HPSKDVL]HV ORFDO politics and the need to be aware of what our candidates stand for and believe. Far too often voters don’t pay attention or care about local SROLWLFVDQGWKHLPSRUWDQWWDVNRIFKRRVLQJRXUṘFHKROGHUV ,QGHHG LW¶V UDUH WR ¿QG SHRSOH QRW DEVRUEHG E\ GLVWUXVW IHDU RI government, and disinformation about secret cabals. There are still Q-Anon people who believe Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton are eat- LQJ EDELHV LQ:DVKLQJWRQ'&¶V&RPHW3L]]D UHVWDXUDQW¶V EDVHPHQW ,W¶VDOOUHLQIRUFHGE\SRGFDVWVPDJD]LQHVDQGWKH,QWHUQHW)R[1HZV and its misinformation are but minor players in this delirium that’s been evolving in this region and others across the country. Sadly, the news media I read and watch as dependable and responsible — The Washington Post, 7KH 1HZ <RUN 7LPHV 7KH $WODQWLF 061%& DQG CNN — are viewed as purveyors of lies and mistruth by many of my QHLJKERUV $OO ZKR GLVDJUHH DUH GHPRQL]HG DQG EHOLWWOHG 0\ IDUP workers tell me I need to be careful. 7KHZHHNO\URXQGVUHWXUQPHWRP\ṘFHDQGKRPHLQ7DNRPD3DUN 0DU\ODQG,ZDWFKWKH79PRUQLQJQHZVRQ&%6DQG1%&ḊOLDWHVWR FKHFN WKHZHDWKHU DQG URDG FRQGLWLRQV WKHQ WR &11 DQG061%&¶V 0RUQLQJ-RHZLWKIRUPHU5HSXEOLFDQ&RQJUHVVPDQ-RH6FDUERURXJK and guests who discuss and debate politics. Then I switch to conserva- tive channels, like Fox and Friends and Channel One News, and listen to right-wing propaganda. The books I read during this seasonal downtime are what I look forward to most. I started reading the recently published book by Ja- PLH 5DVNLQ 8QWKLQNDEOH 7UDXPD 7UXWK DQG WKH 7ULDOV RI $PHUL - can Democracy ,QKLVERRN5DVNLQGRFXPHQWVKRZFORVHZHFDPHWR DQDUPHGLQVXUUHFWLRQDQGFDQFHOODWLRQRIWKHHOHFWLRQLQZKLFK 7UXPS PLJKW KDYH GHFODUHG PDUWLDO ODZ ZLWK D PRELOL]HG 1DWLRQDO Guard and federal troops to back him up. At one point in his book he GHVFULEHVZKHQWKHKDOOVRI&RQJUHVVZHUH¿OOHGZLWK&RQIHGHUDWHÀDJV DQGDQJU\YRLFHVFKDQWLQJ³+DQJ0LNH3HQFH´DQG³:HZDQW7UXPS´ I’m conscious of the duality of people’s perceptions of reality. When I’m in my farm truck driving distances, I listen to national C-SPAN FDOO LQ YRLFHV IURP ,QGHSHQGHQWV5HSXEOLFDQV DQG'HPRFUDWV ORFDO SROLWLFDOWDONVKRZVDQG&KULVWLDQUDGLRDVZHOODV135¶V6RXWK&HQWHU PA WITF station. And thanks to hands-free technology, I can also KDYHFRQYHUVDWLRQVZLWKP\XUEDQDQGVXEXUEDQ'&QHLJKERUV7KH
accept his self-serv- ing lies and incite- ment. It seems the new Trump com- mandment has be- come, “Hate thy neighbor.” And to my dismay, many willingly embrace that sentiment. What drives some neighbors to post “F—Biden” VLJQV" 7KH 3UHVL - dency is about real
governing, not entertainment. And while I’m not of Biden’s faith, I UHFRJQL]H WKH UHOLJLRXV FRPPLWPHQW DQG GHHS FRPSDVVLRQ DQG FDUH WKDW GULYH KLP 3HRSOH RI IDLWK VKRXOG EH DEOH WR DOVR UHFRJQL]H DQG appreciate these qualities. How many people in our rural areas are willing to accept whatever FRPHVRXWRI7UXPS¶VPRXWKDQGLPDJLQDWLRQ"-XGJLQJE\ORFDOYRWLQJ and frequent signageon lawns, a lot! For example, thevoter suppression laws spreading around the country, inspired by the “Big Lie” attempt- LQJWROLPLWPLQRULW\YRWLQJFRXOGHDVLO\D̆HFWDOORIXVQRWMXVW'HPR - crats. Based on these restrictive laws being proposed in several states, anyone of us could be turned away from the polls with no recourse. The nature of the signs in our otherwise conservative area alarms me. It was not that long ago that kindness, compassion, understand- ing and civility dominated our actions and behavior toward each other UHJDUGOHVV RI RXU SROLWLFDO ḊOLDWLRQV ,W KDV JRWWHQ VR EDG WKDW RXU neighbors to the north in Gettysburg talk about a civil war again. Civil :DU" )LJKWLQJ LQ WKH ¿HOGV VKRRWLQJ DQGPDLPLQJ DQG NLOOLQJ HDFK RWKHU"'HVWUXFWLRQRIRXUKRPHVDQG¿HOGV"%XUQLQJEXLOGLQJV" Real- ly " It seems these rural neighbors have been totally seduced by and EHFRPHFRPSOLFLWZLWKWKH7UXPSPDFKLQHDQGEOLQGWRZKDW'HPR - FUDWVDQGDKDQGIXORI5HSXEOLFDQVDUHWU\LQJWRGRIRURXUFRXQWU\ WKH start of real infrastructure improvements, better health care, access to higher education and childcare, improving our environment, healing race relations and halting the dangers of climate change. Not to men- WLRQEULQJLQJEDFNGHFHQF\DQGFLYLOLW\WRWKHṘFHRIWKH3UHVLGHQW :KHWKHU\RXDUHD5HSXEOLFDQ,QGHSHQGHQWRUD'HPRFUDWWKHVH H̆RUWVDUHIRUDOO$PHULFDQV<HW7UXPSGHYRWHHVZLOODFFHSWWKHVXS - SRUWVKDPHOHVVO\ZKLOHFRQWLQXLQJWRGDPQWKH'HPRFUDWVDQGLJQRUH continued on page 60
PATHWAYS—Spring 22—11
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