DISSING RESPECT by T. Edwin Perry
It’s funny the way the concept of respect works. If you are being disrespected, you demand respect. If you are the one being disrespectful, then it’s “Just a Joke” or “They’re being ‘overly-sensitive.’” But a world without respect is a dangerous world to live in, and there are lines that should not be crossed. Perhaps that’s the real meaning of “The Golden Rule.”
In case you’ve forgotten it, the Golden Rule says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Pretty simple advice, right? If you don’t want people spitting in your face, you probably shouldn’t start the spitting. If you don’t want people stepping on your toes, you should watch where you are stepping first. Get it? Do unto others.
But what the Golden Rule doesn’t address is what to do when someone else starts it. Biblically, the answer is “Turn the other cheek,” but we don’t exactly live in Biblical Times, and the vast majority of people in this world seem to have either shunned these mainstream Biblical Teachings, or at the very least use a different Bible. It seems that the Golden Rule has been rewritten: “Do unto others BEFORE they do unto you!” (Doesn’t really have the same meaning.)
Of course, I’m probably the last person to give advice based on scriptural interpretations. I am not a religious person, but I am someone who spent a great deal of time searching for my interpretation of the “Meaning of Life.” I know where I stand, and I know what I believe, and, for me, it all comes down to respect.
Political Cartoonist Daryl Cagle posted a cartoon of the Mexican Flag riddled with bullets with its centerpiece eagle the victim of gunfire, lying on its back in a pool of blood. In consideration of the ongoing drug war in Mexico and the ineffectiveness of the Mexican Government to combat the violence to keep their citizens safe, I can see the obvious symbolism and correlation he was making. I can also understand the outrage by the Mexican people over what can also be seen as an outrageous slight against their nation.
But taking the “Do Unto Others” philosophy to heart, should we really CARE what they think about the cartoon? After all, how many MILLIONS of THEIR CITIZENS illegally cross into OUR country without any respect for our borders, our laws, or our safety? How many of OUR CITIZENS have to die as a result of Mexican Drug Cartels crossing our borders and killing any unfortunate American to encounter them without either the Mexican or American Government doing a DAMN THING to stop it? They started it, and all they’re having to cope with is a cartoon in a newspaper!
But think about this as well: what would WE do if THEY ran a cartoon of “Old Glory” being burned in the streets, or with the bulls-eyes painted over the stars? We might get upset and grumble about it, but the real answer is “Not a Damn Thing.” That’s right, folks: we’ve sold our collective souls in the name of Political Correctness. Our own Supreme Court ruled that our flag, our symbol of unity, of freedom & liberty, CAN be BURNED in the streets in the name of protected “Political Speech,” even by ILLEGAL ALIENS (that would be trespassers, to you & me), the police have NO AUTHORITY to stop it, and any person using intimidation or violence to stop the act becomes a criminal themselves. If they wanted to print a parody of our flag being used as toilet paper by a caricature of President Obama, our Government would come out and argue that anyone opposed to it is being “racially prejudiced” or “violating their rights to free speech.” (Oddly enough, if such a cartoon were drawn by a CONSERVATIVE Citizen in the United States, they might be charged with a HATE CRIME, but that’s another issue entirely…right?)
A respondent to Cagle’s blog named Ramon de Leon reportedly posted, “I think your idea of bringing the violence in Mexico to light is excellent. Too bad you butchered it along with the Mexican Flag. Laws in Mexico with regards to the use and depiction of the flag are in place to prevent this sort of stuff.” For the record, Mexico also has laws that specifically limit their Citizens’ rights to Free Speech against their Government, unlike the United States. (Check out the First Amendment, folks.)
Personally, I don’t think the cartoon went too far. I think it’s a shame that, in many ways, it rings true. If the Mexican Government won’t stop the drug war to make their people safe, then their symbol of pride has already been slaughtered by their own incompetence. Respect should be earned, not given, and a nation that will not defend itself is not worthy of respect. That said, if we, as a nation, don’t start respecting ourselves, then we cannot reasonably demand others t respect us, either. As I’ve said before, their drug war is spilling over onto our side of the border, and our Government has done nothing to stop it except post Warning Signs that it’s dangerous to travel in these areas.
“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” If you treat yourself like a joke, you have nothing to say if others do the same, and that, my friends, cuts both ways.
I’m thinking you missed the point on this one, Todd. A true adherence to The Golden Rule would dictate that the depiction of the Mexican flag in that manner shouldn’t have been done precisely because we wouldn’t want it done to Old Glory. I’ve known you for more than 2 decades now, and I’m surprised to hear what I think is you saying that it’s acceptable because of the horrible things that have been done to our flag.
Now, I am by no means somebody that thinks we should “turn the other cheek” to things like burning of our flag, but saying it’s ok to desecrate theirs just because they have no regard for ours isn’t the appropriate answer either.
If we want to copy the Mexican government, let’s do it by building a strong wall across our southern border, like they have!
It is possible that I’ve become a bit jaded. I’m not actually saying that we should condone it, but we shouldn’t necessarily condemn it, either. I can see both sides of this particular argument; unfortunately, I don’t think that both sides are fairly represented. Our right to Free Speech, regardless of how harsh that speech may be, should not be abridged. The cartoonist had every right to publish it, and I think it painted a very clear picture of the issue being conveyed: specifically, the overthrow of the Mexican Government by violent criminals bent on doing harm to both Mexico and the United States. Perhaps I was “inartful” in conveying this thought, but I was trying to point out the “Double Standard” given to the issue of Free Speech more than to endorse the cartoon itself.