Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Defusing the Advocacy Culture



[Photo by Ahmed Zayan at Unsplash]


There are days when it seems as if political discourse has been infected by the tactics of a sleazy lawyer. Not the kindly and ethical Judge Hardy type, of course, who would occasionally turn to a prospective client and say "You haven't got a case" but the vicious weasels who will say and do anything in the name of being an effective advocate for their cause. Advocacy for advocacy's sake is bad enough but when it is merged with zealotry, standards sink even lower. 

A basic reminder that is sadly appropriate for our times: In the vast majority of circumstances, the other person isn't ignorant or evil. He or she simply has a different point of view. Rudeness and vilification do little to advance a cause or to clarify an issue.

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