One Day, No Hate
The political discourse in this country is palpable. Hell, the monster has a life of it’s own and is showing its gnashing, foamy teeth. There is mudslinging, accusations, and threats being hurled about, shutting down all hope for a real conversation, let alone a clear answer.
A few of us bloggers have been talking about the need for a bipartisan space for weeks; a place where people, regardless of party affiliation, can DISCUSS the issues, have real conversation in a safe place, and maybe even come up with some solutions to what ills our communities. In an intimate session with Joanne Bamberger this weekend, we discussed this idea further. We discussed that the country, the states, and even our own neighborhoods have been forced into inertia by the angry rhetoric that has usurped the discussion. Everyone in that session, regardless of party affiliation, wanted to move away from the anger to have actual discussion and move towards action. We all found it necessary for the health of our country. We left the session with a lot of ideas and renewed hope that this might actually be possible.
Then. last night, I saw a tweet from the brilliant and talented Jane Devin. She is someone who makes me think and inspires me on a regular basis. She said, ” I wish we could have a one-day moratorium on angry speech. It’s so divisive, and it works against understanding.” Within a few tweets, and some wonderful support, she launched a full blown effort.
And there it was. One Day, No Hate will be observed on Oct. 6th. On this day, we pledge to let go of all the angry speech and actually try to understand each other. On this day, we listen. On this day, we break down the barriers that separate us and respect our differences.
It is just one day. We all know that so much more is needed. But it is a wonderful start. It is a needed start.
Politics are important. They infuse our lives in every way. It isn’t just about the national stage. Politics concerning our own communities are just as, if not more important. Politics such as whether we have clean water to drink, if open space is maintained, if we have a competent school board needs to be discussed in addition to the big, hot topics. We need not shy away from the discussion any longer for fear of getting attacked. These things matter. We should feel free to discuss them. We should feel free to ask others their opinions and get a response that is real and lacks a snarky edge. We should be free move from healthy conversation to the action that will make a difference. Within the next few weeks, I will be launching a new blog (tentatively called The Work Session…. but I welcome suggestions) that creates such a space. I want people of all interests, of all backgrounds, of all political persuasions to come here and feel free to participate in the discussion. If you know of anyone who would be interested in such a blog or would be willing to contribute, please feel free to write me at corina@dtemama.com.
Until then, please join us in the One Day, No Hate (#1day0hate) effort on Oct. 6th. I look forward to a day free from hateful speech.
Grab the button!
17 Responses to “One Day, No Hate”
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I will be joining you!
Pop and Ice´s last blog ..What is it about Cats and Making a Bed?
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Knowing that there are people like you out there gives me hope that one day, we can put all this anger behind us and actually start a dialogue.
Thank you, Corina.
Jane´s last blog ..Tuesday, October 6: One Day, No Hate
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If the South is the Bible Belt, Tennessee is the buckle. I even started going to church.
I knew before coming here that Tennessee is very conservative. The Republican Party is alive and well here. On the flip side, the liberal minority is very strong too.
I overheard a conversation between two people. They were both talking like raging right wing conservative extremists. Later on, one of them friended me on Facebook. Under political views, he put “moderate.”
Sometimes we get caught up in partisanship. There’s a place for that too. But we also need a safe place to focus on the issues, and not be so divisive.
Elliott – 21st Century Dad´s last blog ..Happy Birthday Twilli
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Love the idea. I put the button on my blog and plan to join in.
Christine´s last blog ..Hate Groups that end in "Church"
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Call me a cynic, but someone will decide that the holiday is either secular and therefore bad, religious and therefore bad, or promulgated more by one side than the other, and therefore bad.
But I hope not.
The Mother´s last blog ..And Along Came Constantine…
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Corina Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:08 am
I have that same cynical feeling about this…but I am ready for the argument…..
Corina´s last blog ..One Day, No Hate
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You KNOW I’m in!
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And ironically enough, October 6 is election day here. I’ll be working the polls for Kids Voting and won’t be decked out in partisan gear for the first time ever at the polls.
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Count me in! I am very optimistic because I think (and hope) that we are growing weary of all the hateful crap.
This is important for three basic reasons:
First, basic human ethics would require that we treat each other with respect and dignity, even when we disagree (and even when we don’t deserve it).
Second, the very nature of our government (who governs by OUR consent) requires free discussion of issues and crafting compromises for the common good. If we lose that, we slide into tyranny.
Third, while We The People are distracted with defending our side against “those people” with whom we disagree, politicians of all stripes are selling us out to various interests who line their pockets, whether they be corporations, labor unions, lawyers, community activists, ethnic groups, religious groups, ideological action committees, etc.
Don’t hate, Participate!
Love to all.
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At StopHate.com we do this every day! We’d love to join you on that day too! Keep up the good work!
David´s last blog ..Welcome
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[...] autonomous collective, working to fight the status quo, stepping up and speaking out against the worlds’ problems. I carefully wield my pen and I am deft with my camera as we plot the world Utopian society. [...]
Hmmm, why do I suspect that “hate” here is defined as opposition to Leftist policy? From what I’ve seen, most of the hate is on the Left.
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Corina Reply:
August 9th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
No. I don’t mean opposition to leftist policy. And while I may be addressing the hate I saw directed at the left in this post (which was written over a year ago), I am honestly frustrated with this on both sides. While I am on the left, which may be your opposition, I honestly mean that ALL people, instead of attacking each other with words claiming the other side (whichever side that is) is stupid or unreasonable or a group just plain crazy fascist, socialist, racist people, should sit down and have a reasonable conversation without the sensationalist “you are the worst thing that could happen to the world” talk. I want real conversations that lead to real solutions through consensus. We cannot have these conversations through hateful words, insults, and sensationalized commentary. The dialogue goes nowhere, and ALL the people suffer for it. It is my perfect society if we can have these conversations and relate to people and their needs on a human level. If these real conversations leading to workable solutions for the whole of America leads to the “corpses piling up” as you put it, honestly, we are in much bigger trouble than I thought.
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There will never be a Utopia — the word itself is translated to mean “nowhere, no place.” The dream of Utopia always crashes upon the rocks of Fascist totalitarianism, from Robespierre to Stalin to Hitler. Once you speak of trying to achieve perfection on Earth, it’s a short while later that the corpses start piling up.
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Corina Reply:
August 9th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
This post is asking for a bipartisan place for people to work through the issues of the day. It is not asking for the right to bend to the will of the left. It is asking for a end of political discourse and asking for a place where people can come and state opinions without being attacked. It is asking to truly get things done. I am not sure how you jumped to the conclusion that this was against leftist policies from this post. Yes, the people that I mentioned happen to be on the left. However, to jump to the conclusion “hate” is opposition to leftist policy from the text of this post is a huge leap. I meant bipartisan and I stand by that.
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