Comments on: Enough already http://www.johnknoxwhite.com/2008/03/14/enough-already/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=enough-already Mindfulness in the face of challenge. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:24:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ChrisO http://www.johnknoxwhite.com/2008/03/14/enough-already/#comment-407 ChrisO Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:56:43 +0000 http://johnknoxwhite.com/2008/03/14/enough-already/#comment-407 I stumbled upon this. I agree with you 100%. - one of the newbies that has read the blog for a while - but has finally decided to post. I stumbled upon this. I agree with you 100%.

- one of the newbies that has read the blog for a while – but has finally decided to post.

]]> By: Jeff Mitchell http://www.johnknoxwhite.com/2008/03/14/enough-already/#comment-406 Jeff Mitchell Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:45:13 +0000 http://johnknoxwhite.com/2008/03/14/enough-already/#comment-406 Hi John - Hope you're feeling better. In 2006 I wrote an op-ed piece for the Alameda Journal which decried this very situation. I argued then and continue to argue now that, collectively, we Alamedans have allowed the quality of our municipal debates to really fall apart. It's almost like Karl Rove set up an attack dog training school here. For about a dozen or so folks in this town, it's not good enough to just win the argument. No, it's not a real rhetorical victory until you've brought your opponent to his or her knees, pleading for mercy at that. And, if you can't win on the merits, take 'em down by getting personal and by bringing their ancestry into question. "Winning" is all that matters to these people. As I've written about recently in my own blog, www.bapolitix.blogspot.com, the problem with this is that our political environment becomes dangerously toxic. Only the heartiest, thick-skinned souls will volunteer or run for office -- and this is happening at a time when we need, forgive me, "our best and brightest" to step forward and get involved in municipal affairs. As a city we need to seriously think about the quality of our municipal debates. We need to remember that members of our City Council, boards and commissions are just volunteers. We need to be more supportive and respectful of the ideas of other folks -- even if those ideas might not be terribly well researched or thought out. We need to get to a place where we do more "agreeing to disagree" and where civility and basic manners governs our discourse. Thanks for bringing this issue up. Hi John – Hope you’re feeling better. In 2006 I wrote an op-ed piece for the Alameda Journal which decried this very situation. I argued then and continue to argue now that, collectively, we Alamedans have allowed the quality of our municipal debates to really fall apart. It’s almost like Karl Rove set up an attack dog training school here. For about a dozen or so folks in this town, it’s not good enough to just win the argument. No, it’s not a real rhetorical victory until you’ve brought your opponent to his or her knees, pleading for mercy at that. And, if you can’t win on the merits, take ‘em down by getting personal and by bringing their ancestry into question. “Winning” is all that matters to these people.
As I’ve written about recently in my own blog, http://www.bapolitix.blogspot.com, the problem with this is that our political environment becomes dangerously toxic. Only the heartiest, thick-skinned souls will volunteer or run for office — and this is happening at a time when we need, forgive me, “our best and brightest” to step forward and get involved in municipal affairs. As a city we need to seriously think about the quality of our municipal debates. We need to remember that members of our City Council, boards and commissions are just volunteers. We need to be more supportive and respectful of the ideas of other folks — even if those ideas might not be terribly well researched or thought out. We need to get to a place where we do more “agreeing to disagree” and where civility and basic manners governs our discourse. Thanks for bringing this issue up.

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