I'm reading a lot of Thomas Merton now, esp. his anti-war pieces from the '60s. His notions of violence and non-violence have affected how I view this video of Congressman Barney Frank and a constituent who likens the Obama health plan to a Nazi policy:
I feel a teaching moment was really lost here...After being asked, "Why are you supporting a Nazi policy?" Frank asks "On what planet do you spend most of your time on?" As difficult as it is to remain poised when enduring a question like he was asked, at this point he lost the chance to have a real dialogue with the questioner. Her question was disrespectful and extremist. And it makes me wonder if she knows anything about 20th century history. But this was the very moment to break apart the facile connection between Obama's plan to provide health coverage for all Americans and the Nazi systematic program to do the opposite: the Nazi agenda was to kill rather than provide health care. In response Frank admits he has no interest in having a conversation with her. And so we arrive at impasse; mutual vilification...a seed planted for future violence by allowing disdain grow in their hearts.
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Rev. Heng Sure, a Buddhist monk in Berkeley. modeled good use of the teaching moment a few years back. It was at an Ahimsa event on Holy Hill, and during post-presentation Q&A, an angry young man challenged the legitimacy of Buddhists to speak about non-violence because, "Buddhists do nothing while the world burns." I watched Heng Sure's face: his eyes briefly flashed, then lowered for less than a second, and when he raised them to look directly at his accuser, he responded in respectful and strong words, speaking of Buddhist principles of conflict, while beautifully demonstrating those principles himself. It was an unforgettable teaching/doing.
Rev. Heng Sure, a Buddhist monk in Berkeley. modeled good use of the teaching moment a few years back. It was at an Ahimsa event on Holy Hill, and during post-presentation Q&A, an angry young man challenged the legitimacy of Buddhists to speak about non-violence because, "Buddhists do nothing while the world burns." I watched Heng Sure's face: his eyes briefly flashed, then lowered for less than a second, and when he raised them to look directly at his accuser, he responded with respectful, strong language, speaking of Buddhist principles of conflict while beautifully demonstrating those principles himself. It was an unforgettable teaching/doing.
Thoughtful.... I admit my easperation was relieved by Frank's comments, but in retrospect - I wonder, why is no one at these town meetings being called onto the carpet to point out exactly where their concerns are coming from in the legislation proposed?
And I did wonder why Frank didn't have the questioner quantify how the legislation is, in her view, "nazi."
The sceptic in me, of course, thinks that people are so worked up in these town hall meetings that they need more than rational replies to their answers in order return to a calmer state. How do we help usher both sides into a spirit of conversation, rather than a spiritlessness of aggression.
Thanks for your ministry of blogging!
I hope Peacebang doesn't mind *too* much if I name her insanity* and move on. . .
* Well actually just one glaring example of Peacebang's insanity amongst other deeply insulting, offensive and abusive things Rev. Victoria Weinstein has said about various people on her Peacebang blog.
Darleen,
Your profile says, "Since all good preaching invites comments and conversation, I welcome your comments to my posts." But you deleted what I thought was PeaceBang's very reasonable comment.
Please explain what you thought was not acceptable content as a comment on your blog because all I saw was a disagreement on what the proper handling of Barny Frank's situation would have looked like...
I watched the video and read your entry. I respectfully disagree with your analysis.
I believe there was no possibility for a teachable moment here. A teachable moment requires a level of common dialog and a point where a person shows interest in challenging preconceptions. A town hall meeting and a public stance are exactly the times where such teachable moments are not.
That is not to say that the questioner (or Rep. Frank either) is not teachable. It's simply to say that the moment of response to an accusation of Nazism is not the time when she (or anyone else in the room) is likely to learn about the health care plan or about 20th century National Socialism in Germany.
In my opinion, her question was a moment of grandstanding, and Rep. Frank's response -- derisive humor -- was completely appropriate. The question was unrelated to earlier discussion, where he had spent considerable time replying to questions about the plan.
Why did you remove PeaceBang's comment? I read her blog regularly, and can't imagine that anything she said needed to be removed.
Dear Readers,
Earlier I deleted a comment from Peacebang because of what some commenters wrote in subsequently...I acknowledge this was an unskillful management of the blog and I apologize and ask your patience while I reinstate it. I did not need to delete Peacebang's comments.
I don't mind comments that disagree with my own. But I don't publish hostile comments or comments that may invoke violence to self or others. I erred in deleting one and I apologize.
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