At this stage of life, it often feels as if I am surrounded by children again. After a lifetime of teaching, as well as spending so much time with my grandchildren and elementary school students, I often find myself attempting to stop a reasonable conversation from escalating into a heated debate. My one dependable life skill appears to become a master of diversion. I learned quickly how to deal with neighborhood bullies, as well as not to overreact to the incessant teasing of older siblings in my childhood. It has remained one of the most effective lessons I absorbed all these years. It doesn’t matter much since public communication has changed so drastically over the past three years.
Playground politics are alive and active in every aspect of public life. Name-calling and dirty tricks bring everyday life down more than a few notches. The trendy word “gaslighting” extends to behavior by people everyone has previously trusted.
“Hah, we knew it” some of my friends might be heard to mutter. Lots of folks still assume that since I did not grow up here, I am one of the “bleeding hearts” of the world. That is one expression that should be dismissed as particularly divisive in any conversation. It is currently being soft-pedaled as a way to kid someone publicly to negate their knowledge of facts and their authority to make any statements in serious social discourse. It seems to be one of the more aggressive ways to stop healthy debate. Name-calling is one way to shift people’s attention and diminish someone else’s credibility.
Both of my professions have demonstrated this. In addition to teaching, I am a writer. Raised by a single working mother, I was constantly reminded by my family that I needed to obtain as much education as was available. Making our own way was the family priority. The only thing that anyone seemed to care about was that we all take advantage of any available educational opportunities. We also learned that we had to contribute to the family’s earnings in some way, so summer jobs were important.
Modern family life and economic challenges have changed so many assumptions we all make about each other. Most of us just want our daily lives to remain peaceful and productive. Playing fair is essential on the playground. So too should it be in life.
By Dolly Viscardi | Special to the Herald