“Donald”, “Hillary” and the slow death of common courtesy

Last week I watched the presidential debates. I needed a week to reflect on them before I could comment. For me, what stuck out more than anything else was the way the candidates interacted with each other and with the moderator. I am not interested in getting into a political free-for-all. I want to speak to the plight of declining humanity.  Call me old-fashioned, but whatever happened to common courtesy? I could not get past the fact that the candidates kept calling each other “Donald” and “Hillary.” What ever happened to “Mrs. Clinton” and “Mr. Trump”? Should not those vying for what some would call the most important and powerful office in the world show some trace of respect?   It does not matter what your political ethic is, or what you think of the candidates. Can we not treat one another with some level of kindness? Possibly a little honor? (Colossians 3:12, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”) From the array of the social media posts I have seen this week, it looks like many of us followers of Christ have set the Bible aside, at least when it comes to our thoughts on presidential candidates (again see Colossians 3:12). It is possible to disagree and still shake hands. We can disagree fiercely and still live lovingly. We can let our opinions be known, no matter how strong they are, without being a jerk about it.

Has the presidential election been reduced to which candidate looks worse than the other? That seems to be the strategy. Supporters of each candidate have seemingly taken up the tactics of the one they support and have hated on everything about the opposing candidate. Again, just check out social media; it’s embarrassing. We can support our candidate and still live Christ-like values.

My kids watched part of the debate with me. And what did it teach them? It taught them that it’s ok to cut off someone when they are speaking… That it’s ok not to listen…that when someone says “times up”, they don’t have to be compliant with such “rules”… That common courtesy is an endangered species in our culture. I don’t feel angry or mad, just sad. Maybe it is time to go back to some time-honored values; “Mr.” and “Mrs.” would be a great place to start.