It’s unfortunate we don’t have Aretha Franklin around anymore to remind us about respect.
Americans, when encountering fellow compatriots of opposing political opinions, or a person from a different religion or race, must treat each other with respect. Doing so would be restorative for all of us, and for the nation, especially after the recent election that ushered in the very real prospect of four more years of division.
Gatherings of family, work colleagues, friends or acquaintances should not descend into a climate of incivility — or worse — because of political or other divisions. And every American should feel safe going about their daily lives without being targeted by others.
Among the latest and worst manifestations of our divided, even hateful, times, is a rise in antisemitism. Officials said two Jewish students were beaten Wednesday on DePaul University’s campus while the students were “visibly showing their support for Israel.”
Last month, hacked billboards along the Tri-State Tollway near Northbrook included messages saying “F*** Israel” and “Death to Israel.” Last week, a man was charged with terrorism and a hate crime for shooting an Orthodox Jewish man walking to synagogue in West Ridge. On Wednesday night, a crowd surrounded a Loop synagogue. One person vandalized it, and the crowd harassed Jewish people entering the building, the Anti-Defamation League said.
Other dangerous signs of intolerance: Two weeks ago, vandals broke windows containing Palestinian flags at Uptown’s Nabala Cafe for the second time in two months. In September, the Chicago branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate crimes have risen by almost 200% in Chicago since Oct. 7, 2023.
And the magazine WIRED reports some supporters of President-elect Trump are sharing memes online with violent themes in celebration of Trump’s win, and calling for locking up or even executing his political opponents. “I was promised Hitler shit. I demand Hitler shit,” one person wrote on Patriots.win.
The much-lesser signs of disrespect aren’t as dangerous, but contribute to an overall climate of incivility: One woman told us an apparent Donald Trump supporter shot off very loud firecrackers at night after Trump was projected to win the presidency, disrupting a west suburban area that is home to mostly Kamala Harris supporters.
‘Rise and fall together’
On Thursday at City Council budget hearings, Chicago Commission on Human Relations Commissioner Nancy Andrade said her agency is worried about a potential post-election surge in hate crimes and “hate incidents.”
Let’s not go down that road. Instead, remember, as former President Barack Obama said, we rise or fall together, as one nation and as one people. It might not feel that way right now to millions of Americans reeling after an intense election. But democracy needs unity to survive.
A 2019 Pew Research Center poll found most people didn’t necessarily think officials of their own political party needed to treat the other party with respect. Of course, they thought — by wide margins — officials of the other party should treat their own with respect.
Does anyone see the logical flaw here?
A 2022 University of Chicago study concluded that democracy relies on people who disagree with one another listening to others’ viewpoints, having discussions and finding political compromise.
Have we seen much of that lately? Those who vilify people of other political persuasions are not acting as true patriots. Even worse, those who vilify or attack people of a different religion, ethnicity or race are not acting with basic decency.
People have more interests in common than issues that separate them. At a time when it appears Americans will be encouraged to fear each other, we need to find our better angels and make this a nation where democracy can sink ever-deeper roots.
The country’s history is laced with periods when various groups looked upon fellow Americans as the enemy and resorted to antagonism or violence. We shouldn’t succumb to that urge now, but rather work to uphold the timeless ideals that, at the best of times, hold this nation together.
The day after Election Day, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops called on Americans to respect one another.
That’s good advice. Political extremism leads to the dehumanizing of others. That’s not fertile soil for democracy.
Respect is.
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