Stick and stones may break my bones …
How we all wish that cliché would hold its merit today.
What has amazed and troubled me most is the swiftness in which we deftly attack with equally strong emotion. Having voted for Carrboro’s mayor, Mark Chilton, I was floored by my public servant’s comment on Facebook regarding the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords: “Shooter, you probably think you did this for your country, but like Timothy McVeigh you are America’s worst enemy. You don’t deserve the kind of civilized trial and punishment that you will end up with. F*** you.â€
This was posted within hours after the shooting. It was that very first, succinct few sentences that left a searing impression. All the many words he wrote after that were not the ones that actually woke me in the middle of the night in immediate thought of our responsibility as human beings.
In the context of this national event, we are all witness to the power of words, regardless of partisanship. The difference between the individual and the collective, no matter the size, is drastically diminished by the inherent infinite nature of the Internet. This leaves us exponentially burdened regarding free speech and, in this case, coupled with the scope of the impact of an elected official. This is an example of how one voice can become so quickly a widespread collective.
I am not denying my mayor’s human right to emotional response. It is often difficult to separate the private person from the political one. It is the personal convictions that make up who we are, what we believe in and desire to promote.
What we hope for is not always what we get. One could have hoped for a mayor that took a positive, unifying leadership role in the community. All is not lost, there is still time.
I am not writing here to take a side or to point a finger of blame. My point is to shed light on the responsibility of the individual as part of the collective whole. Every situation presents us with an opportunity. The very same passion can empower us to do things differently if we afforded ourselves patience and observation, one of the hardest of things with which to task ourselves and most worthwhile in its success.
Locally, let this be a reminder to us that words do hold power in the face of a larger, national tragedy. Let us not wield them so quickly as to be so naïve about the Internet, Facebook in particular.
Carter Hubbard
Carrboro
I agree completely with Ms. Hubbard. Mr. Chilton can talk about his “private facebook wall” all he wants; but other NC politicians that I am “friends” with understand that ‘private’ is a misnomer in dealing with posts. The very term, “wall” denotes openness, a soapbox, an advertisement. Is it that hard for Chilton to imagine that his blow-horn, hate rhetoric might carry pass his carefully picked audience?
Of course after the fact, the offenders are meek and docile, saying they thought their words would only be seen by their closet 900 plus friends. I am not sure which is worst; being insulted or lied to?
I don’t have too many problems with Chilton as our mayor (I’ll spare you any critiques I do have re. his mayorship here). But I do have a problem with his facebook personality–where he is rude, intolerant, childish, boorish, and constantly broadcasts overt disinformation. Most notably, his current propaganda campaign against the Tea Party, or should I say, that “racist Tea Party,” to take a page from Chilton’s hate book.
Speaking of that; Labeling others “racist” without explicit evidence, is as about as malicious anyone can get in the public sphere, without taking up a gun–indeed it is akin to character assassination, a ‘verbal hit’ if you will. Ruination often follows. Once someone is tarred with a false “racist” moniker, or even the slightest innuendo of racism, it is nearly impossible to shake, even if later, after the headlines fade, the accused is exonerated.
Firing off racism charges is something many like Chilton, and the like on the left, do more than James Brown shouted “HA! I feel GOOD!!” “The Tea Party are racist!” “Opponents of Obamacare are racist!” “If you say ‘illegal’ alien you’re a racist!” “Not thrilled about Obama’s foreign policies? Racist!” “You don’t like Michelle’s dress? Racist!”
This behavior is disgraceful. It is disgraceful because it retards and clouds real racial communication, understanding and progress, and alienates half the country–that, by all real world accounts, are not racist. All this for the purpose of tarring others for political gain. Shameful.
We should all press Chilton to at least consider the weight words have, the damage that they can inflict, and that false accusations have irreversible fallouts. Sadly, I think that he has thought about that, and is very well aware of the end ‘politically productive’ results. But one has to ask, at what cost?
I am ashamed of my chosen elected official in Carrboro. And even though Chilton and Co. should be ashamed and repent from this deplorable behavior–we ALL should take a long look at ourselves, and ask how we let it get to a point where lies and hate are excepted and not called out, no matter what side you are on.