Let me be blunt. When divisive forces control the narrative in our society, children suffer. When we let an “us vs. them” narrative be the prevailing culture, our children naturally are confused or easily follow their parents (and relatives) as they define the situation and effectively tell their children what should be happening.
I understand the need for parents to educate their children, but I push back when the forces are negative and counter to our joint humanity. Physicians are apolitical but they cannot be amoral. When immoral issues are all around, we must speak out.
The current administration continues to adopt policies that disrupt norms and devalue lives. The examples are numerous but the most obvious to me is the mistreatment of immigrant families and children. Labeling these people as “illegal aliens” purposely uses two terms that are dehumanizing. People are not illegal. They might perform illegal acts, but they are not illegal. Using the term alien is equally purposeful, implying that they are some sort of alien being and not human. Fearmongering is an oft-used tactic to stoke fears and solidify the us vs. them when trying to control a story.
Senator Margaret Chase Smith summed up the situation well in her “Declaration of Conscience” on June 1, 1950, attacking the developing scourge of McCarthyism.1 She said that “I do not want to see the Republican party ride to political victory on the Four Horsemen of Calumny–Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear.” [Calumny is defined as a false and malicious statement designed to injure the reputation of someone or something.] Indeed, these tools of fear, ignorance, bigotry and smear are currently in use by our present administration. Her closing sentence sounds prescient to today – “It is high time that we all stopped being tools and victims of totalitarian techniques – techniques that, if continued here unchecked, will surely end what we have come to cherish as the American way of life.”*
And again, I argue that children suffer the most from these actions.
How does the administration perpetrate their divisive actions? By attacking the norms and standards of a democratic society, the standards elucidated in the Declaration of Independence (that all men, women and children are created equal) and reiterated by Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg address (that we are a government of, by and for the people). Their actions include—
- Distorting the truth. Too many falsehoods and mistruths lead to non-belief in officials and institutions that should be trustworthy. We become unfaithful to each other and will lose our moral compass.
- Sowing distrust. Trust is based on truth, knowledge, humanity, empathy, dependability, confidence and vulnerability. It is so much easier to spread distrust using fear, ignorance, bigotry and smear. Lack of trust unravels the tapestry of our society because trust is the currency of social interaction.
- Ignoring science. The God-given gift of science and all of its wonders provide a sound basis for helping each other through health and medicine, improving our own lives, saving the environment and preserving the planet.
- Crushing civility. Name-calling, belittling, demeaning and smearing others are the techniques used by a totalitarian leader, and we are the tools and victims of those behaviors. Nothing is heard or effectively said in an uncivil society.
- Dismissing the strength of our diversity. We are a remarkably diverse society, providing a collective strength unrecognized in other parts of the world. Our diversity is to be cherished, yet our diversity requires us to have an honest reckoning with past and present inequities. Our common humanity demands such.
- Using faith as a weapon. Our nation’s founding is based on religious freedom. Our many faiths should breed tolerance and understanding yet too often this goal is not recognized. I contend that the overt manifestation of one’s faith in terms of interpersonal relationships is critical to expressing and doing things that matter for our fellow citizens. In that context, the type of one’s faith is less important than pursuing an integrity to help and nurture our fellow citizens.
When the six steps above are present, our children suffer. Some will argue that my arguments above are too strong and I should be more cautious. We live in a society where caution and measured responses are appropriate. Yet, I do not consider my comments above to be too strong and perhaps not strong enough. After all, we should remember the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer that “not to act is to act.”2
My intent is not to inflame but to remind us that our actions and inactions have consequences. These consequences affect our children now and in the future. To protect them now and in the future we must reject divisive actions, seeking to engage each other as citizens, helping and caring for each other, and recognizing our common humanity.
In the pre-Declaration of Independence days, Thomas Paine, back in 1776 in his call to action in the pamphlet Common Sense, recognized this and rejected a government that places one group of people over another, dividing us instead of uniting us.3 We would do well in 2026 at our 250th birthday to return to our foundational principles, for the good of our children.
- https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/SmithDeclaration.pdf?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/the-evil-of-silence-and-cheap-grace/
- Paine T. Common Sense. 1776. 72pp.
*My thanks to Heather Cox Richardson for bringing the Smith Declaration to my attention