I don't know Pavlovitz but I would posit that the letter is actually meant to sway the hearts and minds, of Americans and help to assuage their current feels and spur action - whether Pavlovitz knows/intends it or not. If that's the case, its perfectly cromulent rhetoric for its purpose, and its purpose is not bad, its purpose is just not as stated.
But that said, if there was a desire to earnestly write a letter to sway the hearts and minds of internationals, it would be a very difficult task and would have to be... well... Much more self aware and more invested in the viewpoints of the receiver, and be willing to commit to honestly reassessing history and the current situation from an external point of view.
It's not so much the message, it's the method which becomes the message.
I like to believe my country is the one of Lincoln, Wilson, FDR, Truman, JFK, Reagan, Clinton, Obama, and HRC. I don't like to think of it as the country of Buchanan, Hoover, Nixon, Bush & Bush.
I cannot yet conceive of my country as the country of Trump. While I can things each of the previous two lists did (I'm not quite sure why I've got Reagan on the pro list, probably "tear down this wall"), none on either list were petty small minded dictators with delusions of grandeur and hangups about hand size.
Understood, and that cognitive dissonance is never easy to deal with.
But there's a big difference, right, between "I like to believe" when we are investing in what is possible for our nation, and what the country actually is, by it's actions and contributions to a global community.
To that community, Buchanan, Hoover, Nixon, the Bushes, and Trump are critically important context. Communities, often rightly, define members more by their transgressions than their victories a lot of the time. I think this is not unlike how we self-preservedly think of ourselves as good people, even though there's not one of us that is not complicated or has not hurt someone else.
Where privilege (I spelled it right the first time there, but really had to think about it!) and power are concerned, there's a compounding blindness that can happen, too. Few are willing to tell the guy holding all the money and control how they feel about what he's done (to his face vs just shit talking on the internet to blow off steam) and the guy holding all the controls isn't likely to understand the overwhelmingness of his presence because he's never really had to deal with being marginalized or controlled. It's hard and takes investment and exploration to understand our impact.
As an international reading this letter, I have empathy for the pain people are feeling, but thy myopicness and privilege blindness of it makes me even more worried that the US will not be able to get this under control, nor ever really understand the impact that the current trend will bring to the world.
No worries, and the answer is: whatcha can. Right now international relations are not your primary concern, and please know that I was never asking for them to be. <3 Just trying to clarify and evolve the conversation a bit.
Not one of us made the world we live in, and it won't be perfect when we leave. Doing as much as we can, when we can manage it is the most anyone can ever ask. Don't think about it all at once, think about the next one to three concrete actions. It's all a fine grind process.
With love, this letter speaks more to Americans than to those outside America.
ReplyDeleteMo Jave You may be right, and I always appreciate the correction delivered kindly.
ReplyDeleteOther than "RUN!", what message should we give to those outside our destabilized democracy?
I don't know Pavlovitz but I would posit that the letter is actually meant to sway the hearts and minds, of Americans and help to assuage their current feels and spur action - whether Pavlovitz knows/intends it or not. If that's the case, its perfectly cromulent rhetoric for its purpose, and its purpose is not bad, its purpose is just not as stated.
ReplyDeleteBut that said, if there was a desire to earnestly write a letter to sway the hearts and minds of internationals, it would be a very difficult task and would have to be... well... Much more self aware and more invested in the viewpoints of the receiver, and be willing to commit to honestly reassessing history and the current situation from an external point of view.
It's not so much the message, it's the method which becomes the message.
I agree with Mo on this one.
ReplyDeleteI like to believe my country is the one of Lincoln, Wilson, FDR, Truman, JFK, Reagan, Clinton, Obama, and HRC. I don't like to think of it as the country of Buchanan, Hoover, Nixon, Bush & Bush.
ReplyDeleteI cannot yet conceive of my country as the country of Trump. While I can things each of the previous two lists did (I'm not quite sure why I've got Reagan on the pro list, probably "tear down this wall"), none on either list were petty small minded dictators with delusions of grandeur and hangups about hand size.
This is moving faster than I saw coming.
Understood, and that cognitive dissonance is never easy to deal with.
ReplyDeleteBut there's a big difference, right, between "I like to believe" when we are investing in what is possible for our nation, and what the country actually is, by it's actions and contributions to a global community.
To that community, Buchanan, Hoover, Nixon, the Bushes, and Trump are critically important context. Communities, often rightly, define members more by their transgressions than their victories a lot of the time. I think this is not unlike how we self-preservedly think of ourselves as good people, even though there's not one of us that is not complicated or has not hurt someone else.
Where privilege (I spelled it right the first time there, but really had to think about it!) and power are concerned, there's a compounding blindness that can happen, too. Few are willing to tell the guy holding all the money and control how they feel about what he's done (to his face vs just shit talking on the internet to blow off steam) and the guy holding all the controls isn't likely to understand the overwhelmingness of his presence because he's never really had to deal with being marginalized or controlled. It's hard and takes investment and exploration to understand our impact.
As an international reading this letter, I have empathy for the pain people are feeling, but thy myopicness and privilege blindness of it makes me even more worried that the US will not be able to get this under control, nor ever really understand the impact that the current trend will bring to the world.
Things for your constant help, Mo. I don't know if I can possibly do enough, and I don't always know what I can do.
ReplyDeleteNo worries, and the answer is: whatcha can. Right now international relations are not your primary concern, and please know that I was never asking for them to be. <3 Just trying to clarify and evolve the conversation a bit.
ReplyDeleteNot one of us made the world we live in, and it won't be perfect when we leave. Doing as much as we can, when we can manage it is the most anyone can ever ask. Don't think about it all at once, think about the next one to three concrete actions. It's all a fine grind process.