My Blog Week: March 31 to April 6

A Word on the Week

The American media was full of former Vice President Joe Biden’s touching habits with acquaintances. He apologized; he remains accused of not getting it. The trouble here, is that the possibility of getting it, like the possibility of redemption generally, is something we want to allow, encourage, not perversely prohibit. One of the fundamental tactics in the propagandists’ repertoire is making the solution to a problem—the goal—be always over the next hill, never reachable, never done. 

We should not play along. Consider, that if Biden doesn’t know the experiences of women, and from an older man’s assumptions has acted heedlessly, people outside his own experience don’t know those things (deep losses among them). Measuring “getting it” narrowly, within the dimensions of the moment’s political cause (however worthy) doesn’t make defensible the discounting of every other type of experience. At best, you and your opponent are at a draw. 

And why are we placed at opposition to one another? Because some shady interests are served by it. If we are going to get things, and avoid the traps of societal disruption, we need to respect the journey, not jeer those making their way down the road.