I really feel the need to defend President Obama on his speech in Northern Ireland. Let's be clear - I am NOT a fan of President Obama. I repeat - I am NOT a fan. Got it? From his stance on abortion, to his persistent use of drones, to his inability to close Guantanamo, to...you name it. Suffice it to say I would not vote for him if he was running for reelection. But, that being said, the headlines claiming that he called for "closing Catholic schools" are outrageous and incorrect. If anyone who passed this around would have actually checked their facts and read his speech, they would never had stated this untruth.
I have put a link to the transcript of his speech below from the Daily Kos - the only place I could find a full transcript when I Googled it. If you have the time (and it will probably take 20 minutes or so), read his speech. He actually said some very insightful and inspiring things to young people in Northern Ireland about maintaining and amplifying the peace that was won at so great a cost 15 years ago.
In that context, he was talking about removing barriers to understanding as a way to "wage peace". He was talking about how much work there is to do, about how much resistance there still is, how tenuous the peace is in Northern Ireland. Now, let's remember - who was at war with each other in Northern Ireland? Catholics and Protestants. And the point that he made was that segregated schools, and segregated housing - where there is no opportunity for one group to interact with and understand the other - can be barriers to peace.
And he is right. The more that we see "the other" as different, and dangerous, and even demonic, the more likely we are to wage war, not wage peace. He was not calling for closing Catholic schools any more than he was calling for closing Protestant schools. I have included the relevant section below. Read it - in context! - and you will see what he actually said.
The point here is this - we are sorely lacking these days in any critical thinking. People take what they are given by whatever source they listen to and run with it. Over and over again I see unthinking statements from all corners that are obviously wrong, and illogical, and just plain bone-headed. And people pass them on without thinking.
It seems to me that we have a responsibility to ourselves and to the common good to THINK. We owe others the respect that comes from reflection and research. We have a duty to use the gift of reason that God gave us and to infuse it with compassion and a predisposition to trust.
The next time that you are tempted to "share" an item that is inflammatory, or to forward an email about something that a politician or a Church leader or business executive said - you owe it to those who will receive it to have verified it and be assured that it is true.
Here is a copy of the relevant portion of President Obama's speech:
We need you to get this right. And what’s more, you set an example for those who seek a peace of their own. Because beyond these shores, right now, in scattered corners of the world, there are people living in the grip of conflict -- ethnic conflict, religious conflict, tribal conflicts -- and they know something better is out there. And they’re groping to find a way to discover how to move beyond the heavy hand of history, to put aside the violence. They’re studying what you’re doing. And they’re wondering, perhaps if Northern Ireland can achieve peace, we can, too. You’re their blueprint to follow. You’re their proof of what is possible -- because hope is contagious. They’re watching to see what you do next.
Now, some of that is up to your leaders. As someone who knows firsthand how politics can encourage division and discourage cooperation, I admire the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly all the more for making power-sharing work. That’s not easy to do. It requires compromise, and it requires absorbing some pain from your own side. I applaud them for taking responsibility for law enforcement and for justice, and I commend their effort to “Building a United Community” -- important next steps along your transformational journey.
Because issues like segregated schools and housing, lack of jobs and opportunity -- symbols of history that are a source of pride for some and pain for others -- these are not tangential to peace; they’re essential to it. If towns remain divided -- if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs -- if we can’t see ourselves in one another, if fear or resentment are allowed to harden, that encourages division. It discourages cooperation.
Ultimately, peace is just not about politics. It’s about attitudes; about a sense of empathy; about breaking down the divisions that we create for ourselves in our own minds and our own hearts that don’t exist in any objective reality, but that we carry with us generation after generation.
Here is the link to the entire speech: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/17/1216765/-Transcript-of-town-hall-with-President-Obama-and-Michelle-Obama-in-Northern-Ireland
No comments:
Post a Comment