Words matter: President Carter Sounds Off. What if he’s right?
One of my favorite columnists is Maureen Dowd. Many don’t like her, and I’m not making a statement about my politics, but I do find her really compelling because her columns almost always start a spirited discussion. I don’t always agree with her but I do appreciate that she forces me to think about difficult questions and to look deeper into issues. And she doesn’t take herself too seriously, a good lesson for all of us.
Her column this week raised a question I’ve been wondering for a few weeks now. This vitriol around President Obama, particularly in this health care debate, is astounding to me. I know people whose jobs it is to know the legislation and they don’t fully understand what’s been proposed or written. So how is it that people are so worked up.
Words do matter. But sometimes a cigar is not a cigar. “Socialist” can mean something else entirely and I fear that in many cases in our country, it does. President Carter has weighed in on race question and agrees that such emotion is masked racism. I wish he was wrong, but I do fear he is correct. How can people get so worked up over something they don’t understand? Are they defending the current health care system? Couldn’t be, right?
A journalist friend of mine always says this about controversies that come from outrageous statements by famous people: Usually the person speaking is correct and people don’t want to admit it or face the issue. So prepare yourself for a few days of debate over President Carter’s race statements. But just keep an open mind – maybe he is right. Then what do we do?
