Undignified
After my recent few posts on more esoteric topics, I thought I would wade back into the political arena.
I came across a video of Rep. Joe Knollenberg’s (R-MI) and his staffers out on a bit of campaigning.
You can view that video here.
Given that the video doesn’t paint a pretty picture of Knollenberg, and the fact that Knollenberg is a Republican, the easiest response would be along the lines of “Oooh! Republicans behaving badly!” If we step back a bit though, even the most staunch liberal would have to admit that a Democrat could just as easily be guilty of such behavior. I make this point because I don’t want this post to be viewed as a partisan attack.
Watching this video, two things struck me as interesting. The first is early in the clip, where the congressman waves off the idea of supporting SCHIP, saying simply “oh, that’s a Democrat plan.” In other words, the plan was not initiated by his particular party, and so it is not worth dignifying with serious consideration. The second was a comment made by the staffer toward the end of the clip, in which he states that he is answering the questioner, because the congressman “won’t dignify you with a response.”
In both of these cases, considering someone’s differing views is seen as simply not worth it. The opposing view is simply too undignified to merit a serious response. As mere citizens, we just aren’t worth the time.
Which got me thinking: How far down the food chain would you have to go before your representatives considered you worth any time? What if you wrote a short, handwritten letter to your representatives regarding an issue important to you and asked for a personal, handwritten response? Do you think President Bush would write you back? How about your senators? Your congressman? Would you have to move down to the state or local level before getting a response?
It seems like an interesting experiment to try.
Be Brave. Be Human. Be Heard.
Brian
