As the entire country reels from the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump, The Citizen extends its thoughts and prayers to the Trump family as well as the bystander who was killed and the two that were wounded. We also pray for the shooter’s family.
Wyndi and I were wrapping up a date day on Saturday after going to see two movies. We were feeling good as “Fly Me to the Moon” is an entertaining romanticcomedy with a solid cast and “Longlegs” was an engaging, if exceptionally dark, horror thriller.
We were having dinner and I had noticed golf on the TVs in the restaurant when all of a sudden, Trump appeared on screen with words to the effect of ‘Shooting at Trump Rally.’
Wyndi, whose back was to the screen, asked what had grabbed my attention as I realized she had asked a question and I failed to respond. I told her what was on the screen. It took her a second to process what I said and then she asked me to slide over so she could see as well.
I gritted my teeth for the reactions I would see and hear following the news, but as of Monday morning, the commentsI’veseenhavebeen, save for a few exceptions, blessedly civil.
There have been countless studies about how political discourse, particularly through social media, has turned more divisive and elevates stress and anxiety in all of us.
Memes, messages and political quotes have too often resorted to ‘us vs. them’tactics since before the 2016 election on both extreme sides and it only serves to distance us from our neighbors if they have different beliefs. Our fellow Americans deserve our respect regardless of political views.
Messages that paint our neighbors as an enemy only make us weaker. The further we are distanced, the harder it is for us to come together when we need to face genuine threats or respond to an emergency. In times of crisis, it could be important to have that Republican or Democrat in your corner. And they could probably use you in theirs.
As the public condemnation of the violence from both sides shows, there’s no place for such extreme behavior… and we have more in common than is sometimes obvious.
— Paul Gaudette is Managing Editor for the Dublin Citizen and can be reached via email publisher@dublincitizen.com.