In The Basket

Sept. 16, 2016

On September 9, 2016, Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump supporters a “basket of deplorables.” Her smug notion that those who oppose her are disgraceful, dishonorable, and inexcusable (or any other synonym for deplorable) is exactly what’s wrong with contemporary politics. This sort of tribalism is at the heart of the unrest in the world.

A significant part of the daily conflict in the Middle East is not Muslims against the world; it’s Sunni Muslims fighting with Shi’ite Muslims. The dispute dates back to the second generation of Muhammad’s family and who should lead the community. In principle they agree on most all of their religious tenets, yet they are killing each other daily over a 7th century disagreement. The conflict is good for people in power; by unifying their people against a common enemy, leaders keep their followers from looking around and realizing that they live in terrible conditions and under constant violence.

Here at home the same “us vs them” mentality has become the stock and trade of politics. In order to secure allegiance from the LGBT community, the left has chosen to make the religious community -- specifically Christians -- the enemy. It could not be further from the truth; there might be Christians who oppose gay marriage, but they generally don’t hold hatred toward anyone who is homosexual. Nobody I know in the wedding business cares if clients are gay or straight, if they worship Christ or a Frisbee on a garage roof in Buffalo (it’s a thing), we’ll take their photographs, bake their cakes, and make their pizzas. We are just happy for the business and happy to be a part of the celebration. The whole issue is a media fabrication; media outlets search for one outlier and from that rare example a chance to create drama. It’s a gold mine for politicians, an opportunity to raise money and get votes.

The granddaddy of all false polarizations is the notion that non-Democrats are de-facto racist. Men and women who have spent their entire lives color blind, those who have even championed civil rights, will become racist overnight if they oppose the Democrat party. Outstanding leaders on the right who happen to be black, people like Clarence Thomas and Allen West, are labeled Uncle Toms and vilified by the press. The blind convenience of us-good/them-evil is tearing us apart.

We also have new labels to paint and polarize entire groups of people. My favorite is the careless tossing of xenophobia at people, rather than understanding an issue that concerns people all over the world. Americans are not afraid of things foreign or strange. This is a country that loves other cultures. We embrace foods and traditions and make them a part of our culture.

But we are concerned about allowing people into our country without evaluation. It’s not xenophobic to put a lock on your front door. You lock your door to keep out the bad guys. As a second generation American, I am keenly aware that our country is the hope for many. I also understand that people do not want to leave our front door open. It’s a complex issue, and complex issues are either resolved with open discussion or acerbated with polarization. Most of us learned in elementary school that name-calling didn’t solve anything.

The name-calling has to end. It isn’t how we live our lives. In our lives we help each other. When I was a young man driving home from Wayne State University, I had a flat tire on The Lodge freeway just past the Davidson. It was the definition of “bad neighborhood.” As I was jacking up my car a black man stopped behind me and asked me if I needed help. I thanked him and told him I had a plenty of experience changing flat tires. He laughed. I’ll never forget what he did next. “If you don’t mind I’ll just stand here with you,” he said. “This isn’t really a great place for a white kid to be alone.” We chatted as I changed my tire, mostly about the aroma from the Wonder Bread factory. I thanked him before I got back in my car. He waved from the curb as I drove away. It was one of the frequent reminders I had throughout my tenure at Wayne State that despite outward differences, at an individual level, people like each other and want to get along.

I have served on many boards and committees with people whom I opposed completely at a policy level, but whom I found to be honest and with the same human goals I held. When we have taken the time to understand each other’s positions, we always find a constructive path forward. I’ve lost a few issues and a few things went my way, but often the final result was something in the middle. At the end of it all we had respect for each other, and we did good things. When we listen and respect our opposition, when we understand each other’s motivations and concerns, even in disagreement, we are comfortable with the final decisions.

We need to stop dividing ourselves from each other. Sadly, Senator Clinton never learned this. When Mrs. Clinton puts her opposition in a basket just because this group intends to vote for a different candidate, she demonstrates she doesn’t really care to understand why people might disagree with her. When she labels that basket unworthy, reprehensible, abominable or any other synonym for deplorable, she makes it clear that she isn’t what we need to end our division. It also makes it clear she never learned what we all figured out in third grade.

Thomas Kachadurian is a photographer, designer and author. He lives on Old Mission with his wife and 2 children. He is a member and past president of the Traverse Area District Library Board of Trustees.