Fanaticism destroys all sensible debate

This week’s Mediahuis/INM Irish regional newspapers’ column.

Michael Commane

Before the massacre at the elementary school in Uvalde I never heard of the place, indeed, the first few times I saw the word in print I could not even pronounce the name of the US city. The name is on all our lips now, we all know about the unspeakable crime that happened there.

 

Within days of the killings, the National Rifle Association (NRA) held its annual meeting in Houston, which is a mere 350 kilometres from Uvalde. 

Former US president Donald Trump spoke at the meeting on the Friday after the Tuesday massacre.

He used Christian imagery and vocabulary. He mentioned Satan and spoke about evil people burning in the fires of hell. Tough talk. No mention of limiting the sale of guns. He wants teachers to carry guns to shoot the baddies.

Subsequent to the murders in Uvalde I heard a man on RTE Radio 1 talk about how divided the US is. He lives in the US and said it is becoming difficult to talk to anyone as the conversation can easily move to politics and people are now so divided it’s best to say nothing.

I have been struck by this divide and there are aspects of the division that I find intriguing.

Of course it’s always dangerous to generalise but what’s happening in there US is puzzling. Those who are in favour of loose gun laws and support the death penalty are most likely opposed to abortion. 

On the other hand, those who are for the tightening of gun laws and opposed to the death penalty are most likely in favour of abortion. Right now that’s the social/political reality and I don’t quite understand it. Wouldn’t you think that someone in favour of the death penalty would support abortion? 

And someone opposed to the death penalty would be opposed to abortion? But that does not seem to be the way it works.

Certainly the fanatics on both sides don’t paint any sort of pleasant or nice picture. Anytime I experience fanaticism in any form or shape I’m reminded of the wisdom of St Thomas Aquinas, who stressed that prudence is the most important of all the virtues. It’s a thought worth remembering in these times when nasty fanaticism is being pushed in front of our noses.

I can’t help but think that the art of communicating with one another is breaking down. We are caught up in some sort of web where we have preconceived ideas on people and ideas and seem unable to talk rationally with those who have different views and opinions than we have.

Observing Donald Trump I keep thinking that he has mastered the art feeding people with hunches. He knows how to inflate the bias or prejudice that might easily lie dormant in many of us. 

In other words, he knows the right buttons to press when people are vulnerable, people who are easily influenced by agenda theories. He is a genius at sowing seeds of suspicion, maybe even lies. He is a demagogue.

Mark Twain said: ‘A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.’