Right and Wrong ... and Whatever

Note: Here's a piece I wrote for Style Weekly's Back Page in the summer of 1999. I don't remember what the title I suggested was. Doesn't matter now. The editor of that page, Rozanne Epps, changed it to "Do Unto Others," which now sounds almost sarcastic. Today, 24 years later, swimming in a sea of disinformation and hate-driven politics, I suppose I would write it somewhat differently, too. 

Do Unto Others
by F.T. Rea

The Ten Commandments have made an unexpected comeback this season. In the wake of recent teen violence, we have heard from pundits and legislators alike who say that posting this excerpt of the Bible on public school walls will help potentially dangerous students avoid running off the tracks.

OK, what’s the harm?

Well, when the guy across the street claims the Koran says it better, what do you say back to him? Next, the lady down the block says that the I Ching is more to the point. And so forth …

Ultimately, I’ve got to believe that the Supreme Court is going to have a serious quarrel with the notion of displaying selected portions of the Old Testament in public schools.

So regardless of the good intentions of those who would put the law according to Moses in the classroom, the First Amendment and a mile of legal precedent tells us: The state can’t establish one particular religion.

Yet I do sympathize with those who want to introduce children to the concept of absolutes. And, I wholeheartedly agree with those who observe that morality seems to be evaporating out of modern life.

The essential line between a healthy desire to improve one’s lot in life and in being so greedy that you’re a menace to society is getting more blurred all the time. Without morality, I’m not sure it is discernible.

Without morality perhaps the only perceived downside to theft, or any other crime, is getting caught.

If it’s ethical guidelines that are scarce, why not look to history?

Right beside the Ten Commandments, put up a copy of Hammurabi’s Code. After that, maybe we toss in some Aristotle. In short, let’s bring the basic rules of all major religions and philosophies into the classroom. Some of us may be surprised to see how similar the ethical precepts are.

In the name of “citizenship studies,” let’s put the history of ethics and laws in the classroom as a course of study.

I’m sure it would be possible to design a streamlined course that would offer second or third graders a basic overview of the subject matter. A subsequent look at the same kind of material might be offered in high school, with greater detail and more opportunity for discussion.

As long as we don’t tell students in public schools to pray, or we seek to raise one faith over the other, religion itself can’t be taboo. As we all know, much of the history of art and literature can’t be told without picking through religious relics.

Now, I’m proposing that the actual tenets of the body of thought be examined as well as the artifacts.

The approach of the course would be to focus on the original purpose of particular precepts, together with the way religious canon has become custom and law through the ages.

If the reader is concerned that we must include every faith or philosophy, including such aberrations as devil worship, never fear. When we study art history we don’t cover every artist, or art movement, in a survey course.

Therefore only the religions and philosophies that have had the most impact on the tides of history would need to be covered.

As the 20th century winds down, this scribbler is not at all confident that most children in the United States have much of a grasp of the classic concepts of right and wrong — much less why. And let’s face it, some kids draw a bad hand when it comes to parents.

Good parents or not, for many children the buzz of popular culture is so loud and prevalent that it overwhelms all other information.

Please don’t confuse me with those aboard the “Hollywood is evil” bandwagon. Nonetheless, I am comfortable saying that TV, pop music and the mass media in general aren’t good either. While they aren’t intrinsically good or evil, as they compete to make a buck they will jam pack a child’s head with sights and sounds.

If we expect all the busy parents in the real world to teach their offspring to see the vital connection between their acts and the inevitable consequences, we are indulging in wishful thinking.

Furthermore, if we expect children to pick up a clear sense of morality from popular culture, we are simply fools.

There is no set of instructions as to how to go about injecting morality into a secular society. In the past, like it or not, much of that sort of thinking came from the dominant religion in a region seeping into every fabric of the culture. So the parents were never expected to do the job alone.

Can there be any doubt that a society hoping to prosper has to find an effective way to instill in its young citizens an awareness of, and hopefully a respect for, its collective sense of right and wrong?

Finally, if it isn’t done in the schools, then where and when?

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Viewing the Greater Good as Nostalgia

The Constitution's first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights; it's a list of the basic rights of a citizen. Thus, among other things the Bill of Rights appears to recognize that protecting every person's dignity is a worthwhile pursuit for a Democracy. 

Yet, "majority rules" is at the heart of democracy; as a principle it appears to recognize that what's seen as best for the community is sometimes more important than any one individual's rights and desires. 

 

As those two basic vantage points often conflict with one another, an orderly society needs governments to strive to serve the greater good. It needs laws and courts to settle arguments, establish guidelines and set absolutes. 

 

As well, society has had customs and it has had standards of morality. However, in the current age, millions of so-called "conservatives" seem to think that caring about their neighbors' interests is old hat. 

Collectively, the MAGA cult appears to believe that most liberals are only pretending to care a lot about the commonweal. That's because, the cultists seem to think that no one really cares about humanity more than they care about satisfying the desires of good ol' Number One.  

It says here that Trump's January 6th terrorists and their admirers view crafting a sensible political agenda, a platform designed to benefit the greater good as a nostalgia trip. To most of today's Republicans, serving society's greater good pretty much became too yesterday the day Trump was sworn in. 

After all, wasn't the turn to the crazy right the GOP made in 2016 powered by gathering and focusing the hateful reactions to Obama's two terms in the White House? To be clear, I'm talking about bitter reactions to enduring eight years of having a Black president?

It's far too soon to say if the Republican Party has begun to recover from its anti-democracy MAGA era. So, Biden still likes to use this spot-on quip: "This isn't your father's Republican Party." 

In 2023, that old saw packs more punch.    

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Words and Art by F.T. Rea

The Contrast Is Real

In my view, contrast, as a theme, should be at the heart of the Democratic Party's campaign message for the upcoming season. Spotlighting the contrast between the USA's two major political parties presents the D's strong suit in a flattering context.

Examples of the contrast are everywhere one looks. Whether we're talking about the nation's voters or their elected officials, the difference between the Republicans and Democrats is dramatic.    

Aiming to have a brighter future, it's fair to say Democrats generally think the government should facilitate problem-solving. However, gloomy Republicans seem to think most big problems cannot be solved, only managed.  

So, Democrats think about the future. Republicans think about the Gilded Age.  

The old hat saying alleging that there wasn't a "dime's-worth-of-difference" between the two national political parties may have been apt decades ago. Saying it now is totally out of touch with reality. 

Here's another easy contrast: When it comes to infrastructure, Democrats think worn out bridges should be repaired or replaced BEFORE they fall down. Democrats also think low unemployment is a good thing, which is another reason to deal with dilapidated bridges, ASAP. 

That, while Republican fat cats tend to like their labor cheap and hungry. Thus, high unemployment is preferable. Plus, as a byproduct, the traditional empty campaign promises to create new jobs have more traction. Truth be told, for Republican legislators, tax breaks for billionaires are way more of a high priority than responding to infrastructure obligations.

Most Democrats believe women should have the say-so over their own bodies. In contrast, the Big Brothers that Republican-led state governments have become mean to impose their decisions on the pregnancies of American women. 

Democrats want to make voting for all citizens to be more accessible when possible. Unlike Republicans, Democrats want fair elections. However, more and more, Republicans have been trying to manage the voting process in a way to benefit a desired end. So, to the shameless MAGA crowd, controlling who votes matters more than standing on a platform of popular policies. 

Elected Democrats are now keenly aware that democracy, itself, is under attack in this country. Part of the reason for that bubbling trouble is that elected Republicans are still trembling in fear of offending one man -- a power-hungry cult leader whose whims have come to matter much more than abiding by the Constitution or respecting the rule of law. 

2023's Democrats dream abut harmony. 2023's Republicans dream about dominance. Given what's happened in plain sight over the last seven years, only willfully blind eyes can't see the many contrasts. 

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