10 years ago, I watched the movie “Good night, and good luck”. A movie about one of the icons of TV journalism of his time, Edward Murrow, and his attack on Joseph McCarthy. The “commie-hunter” from Wisconsin. He risked his personal career and to a certain extent, the network in which he worked, in doing so.
The other day, I found a video of his speech at the end of the episode where he attacked McCarthy. And I played it again and again, and it rang through me with wisdom and truth.
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but within ourselves.” - Julius Caesar, William Shakespare
In this day and age, I have come to see that there are “McCarthys” everywhere. In all political creeds and colours. And within any “camps” in support of belief systems. Whether they be religious, political or philosophical in nature. People who see people in disagreement as evil, hateful, deceitful or bad. I have even found such ideas within myself at times. And the words spoken by this eloquent man from the 50’s ring through me as a reminder that this was not just merely a fight against one man and his ideas, but against ourselves. As we have stopped merely expressing our own beliefs, opinions and thoughts, and instead have chosen to fight other’s. Believing it to be our duty. Fighting the “infectious garbage” of other people’s minds.
I see friends and aquintances on Facebook proclaiming “If <enter opinion, conviction, view or belief> is your thinking, then please tell me, so I can unfriend you!”. This makes me quiver in the light of the following quote from Edward Murrow, commenting upon McCarthy’s claim that a socialist writing a dedication to him was proof that mr Murrow was a communist.
“The Senator charged that Professor Harold Laski, a British scholar and politician, dedicated the book to me. That's true. He is dead. He was a socialist -- I am not. He was one of those civilized individuals who did not insist upon agreement with his political principles as a pre-condition for conversation or friendship.”
When listening to mr Murrow’s speech, I cannot but think of what we have lost. And I see that his speech could be held today, with the same conviction and the same content. Just replace “communism” with almost any subject of your choosing. And “McCarthy” with too many outspoken persons holding a conviction about something. In any political colour or creed. And it becomes eerily obvious where we are today. No longer in a civilized exchange of ideas becoming of a democratic society with freedom of speech, but in a war on ideas we do not like and whose proponents we insist upon silencing. All for, in our eyes, the greater good. And in this war, we do not hesitate to spread rumors and lies and to pass judgement based on such to demonize, or at least dehumanize, our opponents. And to associate them with ideas to which they may not even subscribe.
It is not an intention of mine to proclaim that all ideas, views and opinions are of an inherently benign nature. History tragically lends countless evidence to the contrary. I do however, subscribe to the view that we aren’t necessarily able to discern which are. Hindsight may, unfortunately, be our best judge.
When speaking to a former prison guard for the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, he revealed how they all truly believed they were merely “cleansing” the new dream socialist society they were creating of all evil. And theirs are unfortunately not the only mistakes of our world.
We might think that we have learned from history, and now are of a wiser nature. That may be true, but it might as well be that this our self-confidence is just an expression of our inability to accept our own ignorance. If the road to hell truly is paved with good intentions, then we should all tread carefully. And let caution, not confidence, be our primary drive.
The question to me is not whether we are right, but whether we afford others the right to disagree.
