Ive been struggling recently with conversations about Ferguson, and other political conversations more generally. Im trying to write a piece about it, and having a hard time, but I want to at least suggest a simple rule for political dialogue: take people seriously when they tell you they are hurting. I think the failure of the police in Ferguson, the failure of other governmental bodies, the failure of the media and of all us social media pundits, is primarily a failure of the sympathetic imagination. If we took the people of Ferguson seriously when they tell us they are hurting, I dont think wed be debating whether the police should be arming themselves with grenades that project rubber bullets when detonated--I think our imaginations would be freed up to envision new solutions, or at least new starting points for the conversation. The police, if they took the peoples pain seriously, might be compelled to address issues of racial profiling, or officers hyper-vigilance, or the amount of force thats reasonable for police officers to use. The government might actually consider addressing systemic racial realities the people of Ferguson must live with daily. And the media might resist the impulse to churn out articles which reduce the entire set of problems down to a conversation about the grand jurys impending decision and how police should prepare for it. To take people seriously when they tell you they are hurting might mean putting other peoples pain ahead of our own ideological beliefs. It might mean relinquishing our own feelings of self-importance. It might mean giving up control. It would require discipline, patience, and moral courage. And it would transform us, I think, into a more peaceful and just community.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 16:06:38 +0000