When did we Exchange “Idiot” for “Evil”? The Moralization of Politics
Politics have never been pretty. There is a spectrum of names that people are called when discussing political issues, but in 2015 I felt a shift. I’ve never really fit with normal, if normal is going to school (I was homeschooled), then college (I went to Brazil), then marriage (I was a single missionary for 10 years). I was used to be being the weird one, and having a lot of people not take me seriously. But in 2015, I started noticing a change: instead of just being brushed off as weird—I was told I was wrong. Instead of thinking me ignorant or an idiot: some thought me evil, dangerous, or at least not one of “them” anymore (and “them” was Christian or Republican or both). I remember being heartbroken over the refugee situation: and being told I was wrong. In fact, I needed to re-examine my heart to see where my priorities were. Since then, that divide has gotten larger. When did we exchange “Idiot” for “Evil”?
It is pretty normal to think people who disagree with you are idiots. Or at least ignorant, weird, or just not thinking it through: if they just had more facts—of course they would agree with you (*looks at her husband out of the side of her eye). But it is something else all together to call someone evil for disagreeing with you. To moralize your opinion. My enemy is evil. Someone evil doesn’t deserve my respect. Someone evil doesn’t deserve consideration in what they say. Someone evil doesn’t even deserve basic human rights. That stuff God says about loving others? That doesn’t apply to someone evil. Turning the other cheek? That doesn’t work anymore. How did we get here?
Rich Villodas posted on social media the following (with my addition in italics): “The domino effect of enmeshment looks like this: to critique the president (or any political leader) (or a political idea) is to critique the party I align with. To critique the party (partisanship) is to critique the values I hold dear. To critique the values I hold dear is to critique my vision of a flourishing world. To critique my vision of a flourishing world is to critique my understanding of God. To critique my understanding of God is to critique me at my deepest center. Makes sense why people get defensive when their political leader (or political idea) is criticized.”
This is actually a really easy slide to whoosh down. I’ve found myself sliding myself. The biggest thing (there are more, but this is a big one) that has kept me from it is my mom. We don’t agree politically. We’ve had some pretty big arguments about it. Online and offline. We’ve had to back off and just let it lie many times. I would never call her an idiot, but I would, in the heat of the moment, be in shock as to how any person could believe that. My mind working a million miles a minute, trying to compute what just does not make any sense to me. This is normal life. This is what happens when you are in community. This is what happens, often, with my husband as well (just not about politics). But there is no way in ever that I could look at my mom and think she was evil (everyone who knows her would agree). And so—since I do not have the option of calling her evil, it means I need to keep trying to understand. It means I need to keep working. It means I can’t have all my political beliefs documented nicely and put in a box under a certain political party or political leader. My mother, bless her, keeps poking my thoughts if they get settled. And that is a gift.
It is a blessing to have to continually face the question, “I don’t understand this person’s view, but I know they are human, they are valuable, and they are not dumb: so how can they think this? What am I missing? What do I not understand? Could there be more to this?”
The best prayer I can pray for you politically is that you have someone you love deeply, passionately, and will never give up on: that disagrees with you politically. Because it will force you to be uncomfortable. It will force you to keep looking. It will force you to find some echo chambers that you fell into. I just hope I can be for my mom what she has been for me, in a kind and loving way…because it is hard. Lazy me does NOT like it. But God doesn’t call us to be lazy. He doesn’t call us to a political party. He doesn’t endorse a political leader. He calls us to Himself, and a lifetime of learning who He is and how to let that flow through my life, even in my political discussions.
While there is a large part of me that cringes at the thought of this election year, there is another part that says “Bring it!” This is my chance to walk my talk. This is my chance to open up social media and see what my mom posted and respond better. We as Christians often wonder why people don’t ask us why we are different (or maybe we wonder HOW we can be different). Here is a year to get asked that question a lot. People are going to be lost. People are going to be confused. People are going to be angry no matter what happens in November. This is an opportunity to be different. To have a different script. To have the creativity and imagination of a different kind of world, like our Creator God. I hope to rise to the occasion.
(Note: this blog was posted with permission, agreement, and encouragement from my mom)
PS: Since writing this, I’ve been finding other people say the same thing everywhere:
Why we don’t Dump Friends who Disagree (Christianity Today)