Replies to American Joe
September 19, 2021
Since the letter from Ordinary American Joe was published last week, we have received various responses from readers which we will publish over the next couple weeks. We hope these responses will help you develop your own thinking around the great partisan divide that exists in our society.
The CV team is also interested in whether and how our readers would be interested in conversing with one another. The papers and our private facebook account were intentionally set up to encourage responses and to avoid having to deal with trolls. In addition, members are free to use a ‘pen’ name if you do not want to make your views public. However, repeated encouragement has failed to produce much interaction on our BND papers or our social media, though in rare face to face or private phone conversations we are aware that you have much to offer. We would like to have your honest feedback about what it would take for you to share your thoughts for the benefit of us all. bnd.papers@gmail.com
See below: letters to ‘Joe’ from 3 readers… more will be forthcoming.
Joe,
The picture you paint of yourself (or the person you are writing about…) turning 30 in 2024 reminds me a lot of my own 30’s in the late 90’s…I could not have afforded a house, or to have children. I was working in food service, 60 or so hours a week, as a manager, & I still couldn’t pay my bills on time…I had a college degree but that wasn’t really worth anything…
You are not alone…
What you see yourself facing in 2024 is something that a lot of people have faced over the last 40 or so years… the economy hasn’t worked for people like us for a long time…I don’t think anyone is denying that…
We chose a different political path, though, you & I…I am not going to try to pass any judgements on your choices, but I am going to explain why I made mine…I will do this by asking you a question…
What are your values?
Here are some of mine… I suspect that you & I probably share some of these…
Equality for all…
An economy that we can all participate in, w/ a fair chance to succeed, & a solid social safety net for when we don’t…a hand-up, not a hand-out, as my wife says…
The chance to make my voice heard through my vote…
A government that tells us the truth, even if it is hard to hear…
A community where we all respect each other…
I suspect if you think about it you probably hold a lot of these same beliefs. You would probably phrase them differently, but I can see in your writing that we have some common ground here.
It is these values that made me a Democrat. If I was going to live by the things I professed to believe, I felt I had no other choice.
Obviously, your mileage may vary…
Here’s another thought…it seems like, although you say you would vote for him, or someone like him, you don’t actually like or respect Donald Trump.
I will be 100% honest with you here…I believe Donald Trump is a sociopath, a racist, & a criminal. I believe he has direct responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans because of what he did (or didn’t do) during the pandemic…I believe he tried to overthrow our democracy rather than accept the loss of an election…I believe he will kill more Americans, & destroy everything good about this country if he comes back to power.
I say this not to try to convince you of anything, but simply so you have an honest idea of where I’m coming from…
So here’s another question then…what did Trump & the GOP ever do for you?
You’re worried about your future…what have they done to help?
You’re worried about losing your job to automation…what did they do about it?
What do they promise to do about it?
Nothing…
We both live in Ohio…we have had complete GOP control of the state government for 12 years now…during that time, we have seen our economy get worse, our education system get worse, our people get poorer, sicker, more anxious, just like we both are…
What has the GOP done to help any of us?
Again, nothing…
They have said a bunch of things that are calculated to make you angry & frightened, but they have not actually done anything to help you…they’ve just lied to you, for decades…
This doesn’t sound like “America first” to me…
“What are you Democrats doing?” Is the obvious question here…
Well, if I’m honest, probably not as much as I would like, but we are trying to make life better for people like you & me…They are doing something, though…here’s an example…if you have kids, you’ve probably noticed the extra few hundred bucks showing up in your bank account every month because of the new child tax credit…Democrats did that, w/out a single Republican vote. There is more stuff like this that has either been done already or is in process…
After President Biden’s Build Back Better Plan passes, there will probably even be a job for you in that trade you learned.
We do all of this because of those values I talked about earlier…the ones it seems like you probably share.
Again, I’m not saying any of this to change your mind on anything, but just to let you know where we stand, & why…
The door’s always open if you want to check things out…
From Citizen Toby
To an ordinary American Joe,
Joe, do you feel, and would you say everyone wants to be treated in a way that shows they matter? You feel you and your family have inherent value and worth. Do you also feel that when your worth is violated your trust in other people, our society and government seems destroyed. Who or what can be trusted?
Joe, you talk about the need for good paying jobs, about how America first is important to you. You want to be proud of your country and are discouraged about the bleak future. You also like other people for who they are. It seems you desire to connect with others and have a more positive impact on the world.
America’s conflicts signal there could be something wrong about our relationships and that those relationships need to change. What changes are important and relative in today’s situations? Can we learn to accept the identity of others? People are inherently neither inferior nor superior to each other. Can we accept religion, gender, class, sexual orientation, age or disabilities as the core of a person’s identity? Can we learn not to judge other’s identity? Would we be able to recognize and validate people for their talents, hard work, and help? Can we be generous with praise and give credit for contributions, ideas and experience? People need our full attention. We can give our attention by listening to their concerns and responding to what they have been through. Would it be a good idea to help others feel they belong at all levels of our relationships? We can put others at ease physically so they feel safe from harm and safe from shame and humiliation. If we treat people with fairness, justice. and equality, we empower them to act on their own behalf, in control of their own lives. Finally, we all need to take responsibility for our actions, making a commitment to change hurtful behaviors.
The question we can all ask ourselves in this time of distrust could be, “how do I want to make people feel? “There is an answer. We can learn to treat people with dignity and help each other feel loved and cared for. Love is connection; this is not a simple solution. It will take courage and a redefinition of love. Evelyn Lindner MD PHD founder of Human Dignity and Human Studies believes we must redefine love. She believes it is more than a feeling. She describes love as a principle around which we should live and organize our lives and the world. She feels that love-forceful, fierce and big- is the only true antidote to humiliation in all its manifestations. Love heals and is a skill, a set of rules and a framework for whenever people gather. Love has force, force that can be used or wasted. The time has come to mobilize the force of love and dignity to bring about an end to preventable human suffering..(2018 Leading with Dignity)
Joe you can choose.
From one who is choosing love and dignity
I’m hearing a cry for help from our friend, Joe. I would say this to you my friend: Your specific needs or demands will not get resolved by the leader of our country, whoever it is. You are like a lot of us Americans who have become buried and overwhelmed by our problems. I hope you will find a way to seek assistance and counsel. And I believe you are more likely to have access to that counsel if Democrats are in office. The Republicans and the rich will not give you a hand up which appears to be what you need. I wish you all the best in a future that includes us all.
Ms. C.