Yesterday, concert-goers were targeted in another horrific attack on foreign soil, while here on American soil, we have found a way to let it divide us further. The details of the attack are still coming to light, but according to the best information we have right now, it seems that a bomb went off at the entrance to an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. More than twenty precious lives were taken, and more than fifty were injured. One of the most horrific aspects of this crime is that it would seem the perpetrator was targeting children and young teens, as there was a definite expectation that this demographic would be one of the largest groups present at the concert. All loss of life as a result of coldblooded murder is horrific, but there is something particularly disturbing about a crime that targets children.
Today, world leaders began to make statements about the crime. President Trump said, “So many young, beautiful, innocent people living and enjoying their lives murdered by evil losers in life…I won’t call them monsters, because they would like that term….they would think that’s a great name. I will call them from now on, losers, because that’s what they are.” Immediately, websites like Huffpost gleefully grabbed onto the president’s words, and the headlines on my newsfeed started to change from “Blast kills 19, injures 50 in Manchester” to “Donald Trump says ‘Evil Losers’ Behind Manchester Attack.” The comments sections changed from prayers and condolences to free-for-alls of Donald Trump hate, completely eclipsing the tragedy that has just taken place.
To be honest, all of this made me sick to my stomach. We have reached a place where partisanship is more important than anything else. Getting in another good jab is the highest goal. Were the president’s words the most eloquent he could have chosen? No, they were not. He is not an eloquent man. When compared to our last president, the harsh, basic phrases he uses are especially jarring. Sometimes, his words and phrases do seem like words that schoolchildren would use rather than the leader of the free world. If I could write his speeches, and make him stick to them, he wouldn’t be using words like “loser” to describe terrorists, but he did, and you know what?…Who cares? They are losers. They are evil. They are monsters. Someone strapped a bomb to himself and blew up innocent people, many of them children, who were just trying to have a good time.
It is perfectly reasonable to think with some disappointment that the president could have spoken more eloquently, but this is not the right day to openly attack him for his words. Many of us would prefer that he spoke more smoothly, or even more accurately, but surely we cannot find fault with him calling such an act “evil,” even if we think his use of the terms “winner” and “loser” are not always appropriate. Everyone needs to pick their battles, or they risk seeming completely unreasonable, and actually losing perspective of what matters and what does not.
When tragedies occur, it is not the appropriate time to attack the president. I have never been politically silent, but I have also never found fault with a former president and his reaction or speech during a time of grief, even if I opposed almost every single thing that the president stood for at the time. There is a mistaken idea going around right now that incivility, hate, and open scorn toward our elected officials is acceptable. It is not only the left throwing daggers- the right did it with Obama, too. It is our instinct to divide into camps. The people in our camp are good, and the ones in the other camp are absolutely evil. Thus, anything and everything we do or say is justified toward that person. We strip them of their humanity. Their children and spouses are fair game. The hate directed at Melania Trump is unwarranted and disgusting. The terrible things said about Michelle Obama were vile. We may categorically oppose Trump, or Obama, or Bush, or Clinton, etc., etc., but who do we want to become? How can we best remain moral people ourselves in the face of our opposition?
Having said all of this, I by no means think that people should not oppose elected officials with whom they disagree. I believe they should do it in a constructive way- by peacefully protesting and attempting to change laws. They can write pieces about their displeasure, be active on social media and in their communities, contact their representatives, and call out the instances they find particularly objectionable, but we need to stop- as a nation- becoming vindictive, hate-filled accusers.
My last statement is for the Christians reading, as I am a Christian myself and write from that perspective. In our religion, we believe that Satan is The Accuser, heaping guilt and scorn upon us. He glories in division, hate, death, and evil. When I see Christians on both the left and right- not just opposing things they truly believe to be evil (which we must do) but employing the tactics of The Accuser, it breaks my heart. I am not perfect. I have spoken too harshly myself, even about President Trump. I have resorted to personal attacks instead of focusing on the real issues. Let’s stop that right now. Let’s be an example of a better way and work to heal this division, even if we don’t always agree. I am praying for the families of those lost in this attack, for the recovery of those injured, and that we will see an end to these senseless killings in our lifetime.
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About the Author
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Jackie Chea is a blogger from San Antonio, Texas who holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Community Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She writes on political and cultural issues from a conservative, religious standpoint. She lives in the Lone Star State with her husband Nick, her 5-year-old son Lincoln, and her rescue dogs. |
Great read, Jackie! More younger people and people in general need to focus their energies, time, and talk to being part of the solution and not the problem. The same technology that allows for unbridled/impulsive expression of ignorance, overused swear words and disrespect of all kind, can also be used for intelligent expression of thought and opinion, compassion and understanding. Seek peace in a world so wrought with chaos. Promote hope, reason, and kindness in this political, social, spiritual turmoil! It begins within each of our hearts.
Very well said, It is time the personal attacks stop as well as using past transgressions to justify what we respond now. It’s time to unite and grow up and stop the verbal diarrhea and emotional incontinence.