She was student body president of the university where I was a first-year student. Being elected for student government fit the goals she set for herself in politics and leadership, and while it started out well, she ended up resigning her position mid-term.
Her decision caused an uproar on campus. The backlash was harsh. Awful things were said about her that had nothing to do with her ideas or ability to lead. It was very personal and quite ugly.
That smear campaign seems mild in comparison with attacks launched against our politicians today; attacks that are becoming more prevalent and vicious. Following the surprise resignation of the New Zealand prime minister a few months ago, it was speculated that abuse and threats contributed to her decision to step down. While she maintains that wasn’t the reason, consider this: threats directed at her and her family tripled in the last three years and those threats were described as increasingly vulgar and violent.
Imagine needing to be asked if threats and abuse are the reason you are leaving a job, but it’s happening too often. What have we come to? Why do we think it is acceptable to threaten or ridicule publicly elected officials? One analyst said today's leaders are having to withstand the ugliest attacks ever seen, and at unprecedented levels. What is going on?
There are those who suggest that since some leaders act terribly and say disrespectful things, we shouldn’t be surprised that citizens are no different. We need better behavior from some leaders, no question, but isn’t that how kids would defend their actions: he did it first. We need a better response than that.
There is a cavalier attitude toward how we treat those working to run our villages, towns, cities, province and country. We teach our children not to throw rocks on the playground yet adults hurl insults and toss out venomous words at someone simply trying to fulfill the duties of the office to which they were elected. You don’t like what someone did? Let the attack begin.
We have a right to question our governments. We can oppose decisions of those who make policy. But that does not give us a right to chase them down in their vehicles or scream at them as they walk into their offices. Yet this is what’s happening and it is demeaning, not to mention frightening, and absolutely uncalled for. I can't help but wonder how someone shows up for work each day knowing what likely awaits them. Picture opening your phone or checking your email and being attacked over and over again.
Consider the future in light of the culture we are creating. Where do we imagine our next leaders are going to come from when we declare open season on elected officials? How does that inspire good people to step up and seek terms of their own? Constant negativity leads to cynicism, and when we are facing challenges the last thing we need to do is feed cynicism. We won’t agree with everything our officials decide, but we are more likely to be heard if what we say is spoken in a way that makes it worth listening to.
Running a nation, a province, a city, town or RM is important work. Good governance is crucial. There is room for disagreement and divergence of thought on the issues, but none for attacking the individual. It is much easier to be critical than creative, to belittle rather than build up, to be negative rather than noteworthy. Which side of these equations do we want our governments to reflect?
I am no big fan of Barack Obama but he said something in his address as outgoing American president that we could all heed, no matter where we live. He remarked, "If you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the Internet, try talking with one of them in real life. If something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing. If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clip board, get some signatures, and run for office yourself."
It’s easy to tear something—or someone—down, and a lot harder to get out there and build things up. If we want to attract dedicated, hardworking individuals to public office in the future, we best consider how we are treating ones in these positions right now. How we act today is setting up what we can expect tomorrow. That’s my outlook.
