Discourse Civil and Otherwise
By Gordon Cucullu
November 14, 2008
Many of us decry the apparent lack of civil discourse in political affairs as if this is a new trait in American politics. It helps to have a longer historical memory. Huey Long barnstormed through Louisiana campaigns with lines like youd have to run a finetooth comb through hell to find a bigger SOB than my opponent. Hamilton and Burr fought a duel that prematurely removed one of Americas finest minds from the process. Fistfights broke out on the floor of Congress and members threw inkwells at each other.
Nor was physical conflict the only consistent characteristic of the American political process. Verbal attacks have been part of the Republic since inception. Abraham Lincoln, who was brutally vilified in his lifetime, commented, If I care to listen to every criticism, let alone act on them, then this shop may as well be closed for all other businesses. Though dismissing such comments, we know that they depressed Lincoln and that he recoiled from personal attack. While it is certainly a fact that sticks and stones break bones, words are also very hurtful.
Todays battle of words has expanded from conversation and the print media into radio, television, film, and the Internet. Each of these tools offers a unique range of discourse and varying limits of emotion. You are more inclined to get into a fistfight over a heated conversation than reading a hostile op-ed in the New York Times. The old folks coined the dictum never discuss politics or religion for good reason. They knew that human emotions dominate face-to-face talk. They also were aware that spoken words unleashed are free to run wild irretrievably.
For those who write or speak on contemporary issues, who opine or comment on controversial issues, our challengers are legion. The barroom reference to opinions and a certain private anatomical region plays a big part. One of the paradoxical characteristics of America is that we are very protective of our professional and personal skills. Try telling a plumber or an artist how to fix their work and youll get an earful.
On the other hand, every American is an economic, foreign policy, and military affairs expert. Doubt it? Just ask.
With the advent of Internet blogs and chats we vainly dig our way out from the avalanche of terabytes of opinions, ideas, and commentary. In keeping with the less angelic side of human nature, they lean toward the negative and, too often, hateful.
So how can you whether in conversation, commentary, or written word quickly discern the validity and value of your critic (or supporter, for one must be even more wary of blind support than blind attack)? Here are five principles that I use to assess merit to comments on my work. They originate in various mindsets that typify what the Godfather said. I cant reason with this person. Since it is usually too much trouble to make them an offer they cant refuse, you are best off ignoring them. Perhaps this catalog of human frailty will prove useful to you and make the words less hurtful.
1. Emotion-based comments are essentially empty. When a person falls back on words like feel, hunch, or mood then you are dealing with a true-believer. As Eric Fromm describes this mentality, The true believer considers himself to be worthless and powerless and invests all value and all power in the cause. These folks are impervious to logic, facts, and hypotheticals. They feel what they feel, and have imprinted a belief system on their minds, usually based on intangibles. They are rarely capable of persuasion and ought not occupy your time and effort.
2. Those in denial are unapproachable. When you hear the words Well, I dont know, but that translates to I think you are wrong. These are people who will deny, for example, that the surge in Iraq is working despite contrary evidence. They have drawn a mentally uncrossable line in the sand for themselves, and will brook no hard fact that contradicts their preconceived notions. Argument with them, even civil, quickly descends to a retreat into mental castles with the moat drawn and oil boiling. Withdrawal with honor is a preferable approach to futile counter-attack.
3. People who fall back on personal attacks are vacuous and contemptible. To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, stupidity is the last refuge of a scoundrel. Not that the purveyors of this canard are necessarily ignorant themselves though have no doubt many stand high on the pyramid of limited mental acuity but they are extraordinarily deft at levying the charge of stupidity at any and all who disagree with their perceptions. Political opponents of these people are by their definition stupid, ignorant, ill-informed, and chronic liars. Dismiss them as the dolts they are without undue angst over their comments.
4. Those who invent facts are essentially dishonest. Few of these people bother to do adequate research. Nor will they willingly accept information that refutes their position. Instead they will launch into an attack loaded with bogus facts and statistics that unfailingly support their argument. When faced with contrary facts especially well-documented ones they often fall back on personal attack as a default position. Once you have presented your factual, documented argument leave them to work things out without you.
5. Conspiracy theorists are the most entertaining. A wonderful thing about conspiracy theorists is their absolutist inflexibility against persuasion and their amazing flexibility in ability to accommodate everything that happens into their theory. Contrary facts? The government is covering up. See how good they are at it? When you run into the grassy knoll, Roosevelt knew about Pearl Harbor in advance, and its-all-about-oil crowd you are best advised to beat a hasty retreat. Otherwise you are only going to reinforce their dire suspicions and yourself become part of the conspiracy.
6. Bumper-sticker philosophers reflect shallowness. Since the Make Love Not War and Shit Happens bumper-stickers fad exploded in the sixties, the automobile rear end has been, for some horses rear ends, a place to express political sentiment. Unfortunately this phenomenon is not restricted to ideology, so Al Qaeda for Obama stickers compete with BUSHITLER and Abort Palin for supremacy among the brain dead. Bumper-sticker people speak in coded road-rage phrases in an attempt self expression. Its best to treat them as reckless drivers, pull over and let them speed off to their petty destinations.
So what kinds of discourse ought you take seriously? Essentially, the converse of the above. Pay attention to rational, flexible, fact-based, non-personal, unemotional comments especially if they are different from your position and treat them as a mutual growth opportunity. If you arent learning, youre shrinking. When you deal with people who preface statements with qualifiers like I understand that and Ive heard that, it usually indicates willingness to listen and discuss.
Perhaps the greatest gift any of us can have is the ability to listen a trait notoriously scarce among the male and political species. Real listening means focusing on what your discussant is saying without champing at the bit to interrupt with your version, finishing sentences, or emitting an expletive. It takes practice and focus.
One trick to good listening is to learn quickly what is valuable to head and learn from and what is discardable junk. I hope this little essay helps clarify the distinction.
|
|
Click on the yellow bars below |
Now in Bookstores Nationwide
Chapter Summaries & Source Documents
Join the Inside Gitmo discussion group
The Inside Gitmo email-based discussion group on Guantanamo's detention facility is intended to encourage rational, civil discussion of the myriad issues and problems associated with the facility, the detainees, and the staff.
Note that in the coming months I will be participating in dozens of radio shows across the country, and asked to speak on Guantanamo topics in a variety of different venues.
Rather than operating in a vacuum, the questions, comments, thoughts and exchanges from a wide variety of different people will enrich my perspectives and understanding of what others think and believe about Guantanamo.
Journalists, lawmakers, analysts, students, law enforcement professionals, and foreign affairs experts are encouraged to join.
If you would like to participate -- or just listen in -- then click here to join us. |
 "I've also been 'inside GITMO,' and Cucullu's riveting account shows why we've been safer with it — and why we may soon regret being without it."— Monica Crowley, host of the Monica Crowley Show and author of Nixon in Winter
 "Our new president should read it — twice — and take its truth-telling to heart." — Ralph Peters, columnist and author of Looking For Trouble
 "Every relevant military and civilian official should give Cucullu's analysis a fair hearing." — Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the author of An Autumn of War
 "An explosive expos of what's really been happening - 'inside the wire' at Guantanamo. Gordon Cucullu - with his Special Forces background, thorough research and extensive visits to Gitmo - knows more about the now-infamous detention facility than any 'outsider.' This book is a must-read for all who care about how we protect ourselves from those who are dying to kill us." — Oliver North, LtCol USMC (Ret.), host of War Stories on FOX News Channel & NYT bestselling author of American Heroes in the Fight Against Radical Islam
 "Inside Gitmo is a book of incalculable importance. It lays bare the myths and the stakes involved in the campaign to shut down a facility that any objective reader must conclude is vital to our national security. Every policy-maker in Washington and every citizen across America should study this books brilliant first-hand reporting and its alarming findings." — Frank Gaffney, Jr, President, Center for Security Policy and author of War Footing
 "Gordon Cucullu has written a lively work of history that fulfills its promise to explode 'the myths of Guantanamo Bay.' Anyone who wants to speak authoritatively about the Bush administration's detainee policies has to read this book." — Douglas J. Feith, senior fellow, Hudson Institute, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and author of War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism
The "Living Book" Concept
The "Living Book" Concept
This companion web site to Inside Gitmo was conceived and executed by Avery Johnson in collaboration with Chuck Martin. As a highly skilled, experienced researcher, Avery imposes strict demands on her work and that of author's with whom she works. Every stated fact must be backed by hard documentation. Hence readers find 524 citations in Inside Gitmo from a multiplicity of sources. Avery took that as "a good start."
Her concept - that you can interact with on these pages - is that with an issue as dynamic and multi-faceted as Guantanamo is too large to be captured only in a work of print. In order to complement and supplement the final work so that readers may continue to be apprised of developments on this critical subject and dig deeper into subjects that interest them, it is necessary and valuable to take advantage of technology.
Illustrative of this concept is that this site functions as a repository for all original documents used in the book as well as providing additional sources for continued research into the subject. For readers seeking context for specific passages referenced in the book, the site provides access to the original report, news article, book, or other source quoted. By so doing we are able to circumvent necessary space limitations in print by augmenting the book with electronic back-up.
Additionally, the site goes where print cannot: it provides an email based discussion group, videos, updated news articles, a blog, podcasts, and other resources. It highlights new developments, steers readers to newly published works, and offers visitors the opportunity to purchase relevant works from the site.
I think that this concept - a continually updated, vibrant companion website for a published book with complete references included - ought to be the new gold standard in publishing and strongly urge new and proven writers and authors to advantage themselves of these services.
Avery Johnson and her team can be contacted at avery.j@comcast.net.
I'm a retired Green Beret lieutenant colonel, Vietnam War veteran and career officer, and now a writer. After serving more than thirteen years in East Asia I was sent on assignments in El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and eventually worked Korea and East Asian affairs at both the Pentagon and Department of State.
My many adventures since then have included raising llamas and alpacas in upstate New York, serving as the Executive Director of the Korea Society in Manhattan, working as an international marketing VP for General Electric in Asia, and traveling within corners of the world that few have had the privilege of experiencing.
In April-May 2008 I spent a month embedded with Military Police units in Iraq. Stories from my trip are posted at supportamericansoldiers.com — a book about what I saw and learned is also in the making.
My first book Separated at Birth: How North Korea became the Evil Twin was published in September 2004. |
Feedback Options
 Subscribe to
the Inside Gitmo
email-based
discussion group
Email-based discussion group for reporters, lawmakers,
analysts, students, and anyone else interested in discussing
Guantanamo issues. Click here to join...
You can also view, sign or leave a message on our
message board.
Or simply send me an email at
gordon@colonelgordon.com |
|
