Thinking for ourselves

In one of his books, Frederick Douglass relates the story of a white family visiting another's plantation with their slave. While the two families conversed inside, the slaves were outside interacting with each other. One slave bragged about his master, which motivated the other slave to brag about his master. The exchange became heated and ended in blows. Douglass wrote how sad it made him realize the two slaves had lost their own identities and were hopelessly tied only to the identity of their masters.

Fast forward to today. Listen to the debates in current political discussions and note how the exchanges are tied to identities of their candidates. When questioned about their positions, few can respond with a rationale of their own, but merely repeat the talking points of their chosen leader instead of relying on their own knowledge and reasoning, which would further the discussion.

This does not elevate an exchange of ideas nor deepen an understanding of an issue, and we all lose if we participate in this.

Marilyn Hayden

Barrington Hills