From Lincoln to LeBron, freedom of speech defeats perspective – Richland Source

I long for the days of perspective. When a wise voice could step to the fore with a calm, reasoned approach; when common sense prevailed and a settling demeanor won the day.

That's what I kept thinking recently after reading what later turned out to be yet another politically-charged, wildly inaccurate story in one of our nation's leading newspapers. It was opinion masquerading as straight news, only giving fodder to the term Fake News which is so prevalent today.

Richland Source managing editor Larry Phillips

The topics span from politics to news to religion to pollution to sports to the weather and beyond. There are polarizing, extreme opinions in all of them. You think LeBron James is great? Obviously you are spitting at Michael Jordan, or vice-versa, right?

Too often I've blamed social media for this distressing landscape where so many run to their echo chamber. Others of my generation have blamed the younger generation, following an incredibly consistent and equally ignorant tradition that dates to the dawn of time.

Unfortunately, we're all wrong.

Perspective has rarely been part of the equation in the United States since the Founding Fathers put pen strokes to the Constitution, and well before that.

As a history minor in college, I've often found comfort and answers to today's questions in yesterday's newspapers, magazines, TV shows, movies and books. The older I get the less patient I become with those who repeat mistakes we've seen so many times in history.

But the truth is knee-jerk evaluations and stubborn, wrong-headed thinking are simply the residue of freedom of speech. Thank goodness it's a right, one we all enjoy. Yet there's a price for it.

I especially enjoy the way writer Aaron Sorkin put it during his 1995 movie The American President.

"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've got to want it bad 'cause it's gonna put up a fight," said Michael Douglas in his portrayal of fictional president Andrew Shepard. "It's gonna say 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who is standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that what you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."

It has always been this way. Perspective has too often been locked in a closet with time the only key.

You think politics are nasty today? At least Trump and Hillary didn't pull pistols on each other. Yes, we've had national political rivals do exactly that.

The hottest Broadway musical of the day is Hamilton, based on the life and times of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. Spoiler Alert, Hamilton's incredible political career ended far too early. He died on July 12, 1804 at age 47 (or 49 depending on your preferred source) after a political feud led to a rash pistol duel with vice president Aaron Burr.

Unfortunately, that's not an outlier. Ever heard of the Civil War?

Ah, those were the days, when slavery was clearly wrong. Everyone can agree with that, right?

Hardly.

Contrary to popular opinion today, Abraham Lincoln was not beloved in his lifetime. His critics were everywhere. Much of the press despised him, and teed off at the slightest provocation. Sound familiar?

When Lincoln, a Republican, delivered his landmark speech at Gettysburg, it was immediately ripped by the Chicago Times, a Democratic, pro-slavery newspaper with ties to the president's former political rival Stephen A. Douglas. The Chicago Times reporter covering Lincoln's Gettysburg Address filed this masterpiece of a sentence, which has long lived in journalism infamy:

"The cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flab, dishwatery utterances of the man who has to be pointed out to intelligent foreigners as the president of the United States."

How would you like to have your byline attached to that review of what is generally considered one of, if not the greatest speech in U.S. history? That's a 154-year-old embarrassment, and the count will continue as long as students are taught those eloquent words.

My father worked as a barber and owned a bar among other business interests. He had a standing rule in all of his establishments: Never discuss politics or religion. You're not going to change anyone's mind. You're only going to make someone mad. You will lose customers.

He wasn't trying to convert anyone. He had no political interest. He simply wanted his business to succeed.

We can't operate that way in the media. We shouldn't if we're going to hold our public officials responsible for our tax money and trust.

However, there's a difference between being a watchdog and being an instigator. I sigh at our lack of perspective in identifying that difference today. I see far too many examples of our refusal to learn the lessons of past failures from our country's brief, glorious, tumultuous history.

But the truth is we've had few examples of perspective through the years.

It's not the fault of social media, or the Baby Boomers or Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, or the Millennials. It's not the I-Phone or text messaging, radio, TV, newspapers, chat rooms or the internet.

It's all of us. This is the price we pay for freedom of speech. It's a love-hate relationship. Long may it live.

But it will be a lot easier to live with if we can find room for that elusive element of perspective that has evaded us for far too long.

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From Lincoln to LeBron, freedom of speech defeats perspective - Richland Source