What's important is that we try to avoid those poor choices with a "do not go there" list, a list that can include the following:
- Do not use violent images or speak
- Do not make fun of individual's physical challenges, mental challenges, class, race, culture, or appearance
- Do not make fun of children or treat children with judgmental, disparaging remarks
I am a big fan of humor. I recognize the fine line between funny and insulting--it's a line that good comedians are always working to navigate. I know it's not an easy line.
Donald Trump name calls and demeans people all the time. He is the first President in my lifetime that makes disrespect a daily sport and activity--he is not a good role model for respectful, kind, and dignified behavior. While he has not used violent images (thank goodness), many of his supporters fill Twitter and other feeds with violent images and speak of many. Many nonsupporters of Trump do the same. I don't agree with this behavior. It goes back to the old adage my parents said almost daily, "Two wrongs don't make a right" and the wise words of Michelle Obama, "When they go low, we go high."
Bottom line here is that we all make poor choices. When we make poor choices, we have to face the consequences and move on and ahead of that poor choice. We have to do what we can to remind ourselves not to make that kind of poor choice again.
The difficulty with Trump is that while he spoke out against Griffin's poor choice, he still does not apologize for his poor choices such as his demeaning talk about women and the handicapped man, and he continues to use name calling (Crooked Hillary) and disrespectful language when talking about others (sick!).
Hopefully this incident, highly covered in the news because it's an "easy issue" and doesn't really require any sacrifice or hard work by others (hard issues are issues such as poverty, violence, climate), will result in greater discussion about respectful action, fair use of power, and the limits of comedy, disrespectful speak/acts, and positive cultural norms.
What do you think?
