The Rally: If We Amplify Everything, We Hear Nothing
On October 30th, 2010 over 200,000 people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC to stand for one thing: the restoration of sanity. One may ask why it is that we, as a nation, feel so compelled to retaliate against whatever it is we’re fighting? People have always told me that there is power in numbers. We are taking a stand because for the first time in years people are beginning to realize that they have a voice and they can believe in themselves. Through satirical comedy, Jon Stewart encouraged people to laugh at themselves and remember that we are all only human. It was almost as if he was saying “Hey everyone! You are taking things WAY too literally. Seriously! Good morning America!” It’s about time we woke up and smelled the coffee… Don’t get me wrong, I really love this place. I just think that we all have a lot to learn. The thing that I find interesting is the fact that they announced the rally and the very next day there were over 69,000 people attending the event on facebook. Throughout the afternoon people were posting to twitter observations and activities that were going on in the mall, and CNN had a live stream making the rally accessible to thousands of viewers. Twenty, even ten years ago I think I can safely say that this rally would have never succeeded. Even if someone had this great idea of rebirthing patriotism in our country, they lacked the resources necessary to do so. Today, we sit a single click away from access to the entire world. Through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and live news streams people can access the news instantly. But what does this mean for our sanity? It means that no matter how engaged we are, sometimes we must step back and remember what it means to unite. At the rally, Sheryl Crow sang, “There is screaming on my left and yelling on my right and I’m just sitting here trying to live my life.” Often times we get so caught up in the political turmoil and competition of our society that true values are lost. Opinions and personal values are important to share and discuss, but if we want to have any chance at creating a better tomorrow we must come to terms on one thing: we have to realize that we are all in this together. Jon Stewart expressed this vision in different segments of his closing statement:
“And now I thought we might have a moment, however brief, for some sincerity, if that’s OK.
… This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith, or people of activism, or look down our noses at the heartland, or passionate argument, or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are, and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus, and not be enemies. But unfortunately, one of our main tools in delineating the two broke. The country’s 24-hour politico–pundit’ perpetual panic “conflictinator” did not cause our problems, but its existence makes solving them that much harder. The press can hold its magnifying glass up to our problems, bringing them into focus, illuminating issues heretofore unseen. Or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire, and then perhaps host a week of shows on the “dangerous, unexpected flaming-ants epidemic!” If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.
There are terrorists, and racists, and Stalinists, and theocrats, but those are titles that must be earned! You must have the résumé! Not being able to distinguish between real racists and Tea Party-ers, or real bigots and Juan Williams or Rick Sanchez is an insult – not only to those people, but to the racists themselves, who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate. Just as the inability to distinguish terrorists from Muslims makes us less safe, not more.
… Americans don’t live here or on cable TV. Where we live, our values and principles form the foundation that sustains us while we get things done – not the barriers that prevent us from getting things done. Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives. Americans live their lives more as people that are just a little bit late for something they have to do. Often something they do not want to do. But they do it. Impossible things, every day, that are only made possible through the little, reasonable compromises we all make.
… We know, instinctively, as a people, that if we are to get through the darkness and back into the light, we have to work together. And the truth is, there will always be darkness. And sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t the Promised Land. Sometimes, it’s just New Jersey.” — Jon Stewart
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Dear Madelyn,
Let me first compliment you on getting involved. Too many youth today do not see why that is necessary. It is, if we are to remain a free Republic, and the world’s leader. American “Exceptionalism” is not borne of hubris, but rather of a visceral belief that the noble experiment that is the United States truly stands out among the world’s other countries, most of which were predicated upon noble birthright or military conquest.
Now, let me tell you why the Jon Stewart DC rally was wrong. It is not because the Glenn Beck rally was “right.” Rather, it was because the Glenn Beck rally was populated by working American men and women who are taxed to the extreme, have worked for decades playing by the rules, and can no longer tolerate the “noble” experiments of European Socialism that we have intiated these past four decades. These political tenets reward all citizens regardless of individual initiative, based upon the faulty premise of “equality,” versus the American core beliefs or rugged individualism and self-sufficiency.
Our nation was founded by immigrants who escaped European notions of privilege. Our ancestors took enormous risks, literally often resulting in their deaths in their passage to the New World, or upon their arrival, either by disease or battles with native American tribes. American exceptionalism is based upon a universal belief that all men and women are created equal……..but have to work to attain that status.
Congress and some Presidents, including our current one, have bastardized this core belief to an alternative universe, one in which those who work are expected to disproportionately subsidize those who don’t. We do have a moral obligation to protect and support all US citizens, but have long ago crossed the Rubicon regarding the degree to which we need to do so.
This is not just an empirically indisputable fact that will destroy our Republic. It is also a philosophically debilitating core premise that has and will continue to sap our citizens of self reliance, the very core of the American experience.
Jon Stewart can afford to scoff at these “traditional” beliefs. He most likely makes about $10,000,000 a year. I don’t, nor do 99.9% of hard working Americans. We will return to economic equanimity when we again have a tax system which rewards hard work, versus penalizing it, thereby creating jobs, not destroying them.
I don’t expect you to agree with me. I do offer that when you get a job in the real world beyond Williamsburg, and start to experience the realities of the current confiscatory tax system and anti-entreprenurial regulations that are stifling GDP growth, you may at least start to at least better understand those of us who do not believe Mr. Stewart’s “rally” was a good thing.
Thanks for listening, and good luck post graduation, wherever you choose to go.
Sincerely,
Thomas M. Neale
MBA ’78
Tom, beautifully written response to young Maddy who happens to be in my son’s class at the College. In her defense, she hails from Eastsound, Washington which is deep in the heart of the liberal western slice of the state so she is likely a product of her surroundings. Her heart’s in the right place…and, as you so aptly point out, life should take care of the rest.
Tom and Ed:
It’s certainly fine to disagree with a blogger and Maddy can in turn disagree with you. When you put your ideas on the web you are subject to critique. One thing I recommend: do not intimate that Maddy does not yet understand given her age. There are thousands of older Americans that agree with Maddy. That you disagree with John Stewart and Maddy’s commentary (which by the way, is full of Stewart’s words and that is a sign of good writing) is fine. That you suggest she is naive given only her age is wrong.
I had the privilege of teaching Maddy in two classes. She is bright and she is focused. She is is objective in her analysis. To conclude that she will see your perspective of the world to be better or right once she has experience is taking your argument too far. I’ve got a lot of experience, I tend to disagree with some of Tom’s comments (and agree with some as well). Ed, to suggest that Maddy deserves reprieve because she is from the heart of the liberal slice of Washington hints at your bias and a do not come here attitude. Ed, your comments lean toward you being demeaning.
Well, Drew, since Maddy was spunky enough to start her own blog, I trust she can handle a couple of crusty old fogies like me and Tom. And, should she think me demeaning, I fear any future encounters with her elders will prove to be disconcerting…let’s hope that is not so because we do tend to be blunt in our dotage. That being said, her story reminds me of my own days “aux barricades” in the Sixties when a whiff of tear gas on campus was not unusual and idealism was rampant amongst the student body. Instead of Jon Stewart, we listened to Abby and Jerry and Eldridge while Graham sang to us that we can change the world. So I voted for McGovern then went off to toil for the Department of Defense before you were born. After 37 years of working and living all over this planet, I’ve seen some of the worst that mankind can offer…as well as some of the best, but ultimately this is a cruel world and no amount of engagement will change that in our lifetime. I wish that our existence was as simple as Mr. Stewart makes it out to be and that people were more kind to each other, but for most earthlings, life continues to be nasty, brutish, and short…twas ever thus. I wish Maddy all the best, but experience is a harsh teacher and I hope she is not too disappointed and discouraged when she encounters the real world upon leaving the shelter of the academy. Regards, Ed
“One Day We Will All Hold Hands” is written around the circle of an 8 year old’s drawing of the world. Madelyn Smith made the picture 12 years ago. In that time, Madelyn has helped teach in a first grade class at UrbanPromise in Camden New Jersey, spent a total of 8 months working in an orphanage and in the dumps in Puerto Vallarta, worked with children living in poverty in Costa Rica , Williamsburg, Charlotte North Carolina, on Orcas Island, in Massachusetts, and teens on the streets of Seattle. She was the founding member of a chapter of STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition. She serves on countless boards and tirelessly advocates for those she feels need a voice.
William and Mary is lucky to have Madelyn grace its’ brick walkways with her presence. Madelyn is blessed to have William and Mary professors like Drew who encourage her to question and think.
Madelyn, it is an honor to know you. You make the REAL world a better place.
You bring out the very best in everyone around you. Your optimism is refreshing and your will to maintain a positive attitude is inspiring.
You will always know great joy in life by the way you view people in this world.
You believe the best in everyone, and as a result, people rise.
May God continue to Bless you, guide you and use you to create a better world for all of us.
God Bless Us Everyone,
Erin Berard
Uh oh, before this thread spins out of control, let me state for the record that none of my comments should be construed as being critical of Maddy and her efforts to do good. Au contraire, I’m sure Maddy is everything her friends say she is and this world would be a better place if more of its denizens were like her. That being said, there is no substitute for experience, as the students of today will find out soon enough…just as their predecessors did so many years ago. Unfortunately what works in discussion on campus often does not work in execution out in the field, to the disappointment of many. I’ve seen way too many examples of worthwhile projects gone wrong because the ostensible beneficiaries decide for themselves that copper wire meant for electrification can be removed and sold instead for scrap…go figure. In any event, I shall continue to peruse Maddy’s blog because I like the way she writes and I admire her youthful enthusiasm and optimism. I hope she’s stays out of harm’s way and makes a difference for those she serves. Bonne chance.