There's something to be said about our current state of affairs when a departing mayor says matter-of-factly that civility is totally gone from politics in the modern era. That notion was put forth by outgoing mayor Scott Avedisian of Warwick, when asked
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There’s something to be said about our current state of affairs when a departing mayor says matter-of-factly that civility is totally gone from politics in the modern era.
That notion was put forth by outgoing mayor Scott Avedisian of Warwick, when asked about the growing divisiveness of our times in politics and in everyday discourse during an interview held within the last couple of weeks of a mayoral tenure that spanned nearly 20 years.
If there is anyone who should be able to understand overcoming division within politics, Avedisian would be the guy. He’s won nine landslide elections as a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic state and has consistently had to work with City Councils who are sometimes (as they are now) without a single non-Democratic member amidst their nine-member group.
Yet the winds of unrest have increased in velocity, and it can be felt from as high up in the political world as Washington D.C. and all the way down to a council chamber in Warwick. There is a palpable sense of unwillingness to engage in constructive dialogue with one another – subverted with an unmistakable desire to prove somebody else wrong, and for one party to be able to stand up, thumb their nose and say “I told you so,” on the other end.
We may not see physical displays of our division like back in the Civil War era, such as when South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks nearly beat Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner to death on the floor of the U.S. Senate with his cane because the two had a fiery, fundamental disagreement about whether or not slavery was acceptable, but this does not mean we have progressed beyond that inherent desire to forcibly shut someone down who disagrees with us.
The nature of politics is supposed to be an art of compromise underscored by an ability to see multiple sides of an issue and navigate towards a common middle ground where neither side gets exactly what they want, but both sides get a little bit of what they need. It is a practice as old as civilization itself, and has more or less stayed the same while the geopolitical scale of things around us has increased in size and destructibility exponentially throughout the passing decades.
It seems that now, we have arrived at a point where it is simple enough to surround yourself with likeminded peers – either in person or online – to a degree where you do not have to be challenged in your views, and where you can always find someone to stoke your inner desire to be correct.
Look at Facebook, a place where some people log in purely to disagree with the hot topics of the day. Some rants and back-and-forth venom spewing contests between modern day Sumners and Brooks will go on for hundreds of comments, with dozens of random people jumping in and out of the argument like a toxic game of hot potato, only nobody wins and everybody loses and nobody learns anything or concedes an inch on their preconceived ideas of the truth.
If this method of discourse has become the standard practice in modern politics, then we are at a crucial turning point in our state, and in our nation as well. While everyone seems to have no trouble disparaging mayors and governors and state reps, it seems far less common to find people providing constructive criticism about how to improve things.
In this world devoid of political civility, nearly every political campaign becomes a mud-slinging contest about what the opposing candidate does poorly more than what the new candidate can do better. Every issue of disagreement becomes a wedge issue, a line in the sand, rather than an opportunity for compromise and improvement.
As we are seeing nationally, no one party and no one politician has all the answers. The only way for us to head towards a better tomorrow is to be willing to listen and actually consider the opinions that we personally do not agree with. That’s just good politics.
8 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Justanidiot
says you
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 Report this
Bob_Cushman
Maybe the Beacon should first monitor more closely the comments on its page and better yet require people who wish to comment on the page to register with the Editor using a verified real name that will put an end to the keyboard warriors spewing whatever they want under the guise of anonymity.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 Report this
Justanidiot
So's your old man.
I post in the spirit of Publius, the pen name of the founding fathers used to make points without the risk of the fake press not publishing them.
Again, they were making America great.
Wednesday, May 2, 2018 Report this
richardcorrente
Dear Bob Cushman,
You ALWAYS use your real name and I believe the readers ALWAYS respect you for that. I certainly do.
As far as Justanidiot, he should get a pass on this one in my opinion. His comments are never harsh or disgustingly dishonest as others are. They're always amusing with sarcasm and thought-provoking wit, and they always have an underlying message that makes you think. I believe Justanidiot is an asset to the comment section but I agree with you about all the other shameless cowards that criticize, complain and condemn without have the courage to do it "using a verified real name that will put an end to the keyboard warriors spewing whatever they want under the guise of anonymity". It's these total cowards that have caused a mass of lies to be "spewed" on the Warwick Beacon readers. In my opinion, they should be found out and prosecuted. Someday, however,I would like to meet Justanidiot, just to shake his/hers hand and thank him/her for all the enjoyable comments. He/she makes you smile. He/she makes you think. Both are qualities that the others should learn from.
Happy Spring Bob.
Happy Spring Justanidiot.
Happy Spring everyone.
Rick Corrente
The Taxpayers Mayor
Thursday, May 3, 2018 Report this
CrickeeRaven
Bob_Cushman, don't fall for the make-believe mayor's victimhood ploy. He [and anyone else who disagrees with how the Beacon runs its website] can use other platforms to say whatever they want to say.
What the make-believe mayor is crying about is that several commenters on this site have found publicly available and easily verifiable information that prove many of his statements to be false. His issue with the use of screen names on this website does not somehow make those facts untrue.
And while he can preach all he wants about "courage," he has still not answered fundamental questions about his campaign finance activities, like paying campaign funds for office rent to the same person who previously paid his delinquent property tax bills. When this issue is brought up, he simply leaves one comment board and starts repeating his falsehoods on others.
Running for office and refusing to answer questions is not a sign of bravery. Calling names and threatening other commenters is not a sign of bravery. Using a newspaper's website for free political advertising is not a sign of bravery. Repeating lies is not a sign of bravery.
Now that Council President Joe Solomon, an actual leader of the Democratic party, will be running in the mayor's race, the end of the make-believe mayor's hopeless political aspirations will finally end.
Thursday, May 3, 2018 Report this
Justanidiot
master mayers mom wears combat boots
Thursday, May 3, 2018 Report this
patientman
Mayor Avedisian is a RINO. No fiscal conservative Mayor raises taxes 16 years in a row. No fiscally responsible Republican Mayor has such a cozy relationship with the public unions. Despite the labor unrest the Mayor largely avoided the hammer of the WTU. There's a reason the Democrats never endorsed a viable candidate to run against him, they already had their Manchurian candidate.
Friday, May 4, 2018 Report this
richardcorrente
Dear Justanidiot,
My mom passed away 16 years ago but I still have a picture of her at age 83 wearing "combat boots" to a Halloween Party.
She knew the true value of making people smile and laugh. Thanks for bringing back that beautiful memory.
Rick
Tuesday, May 8, 2018 Report this