THE toxicity of vengeful minds has permeated the airwaves including social media in almost all forms and outlets. Even in places which are considered sacred are not spared. Religious institutions and places of worship where one can go and seek refuge for spiritual enlightenment and consolation are now being used as battlegrounds in furtherance of political discourse.
Gone are the days when you can openly express an opinion on any given topic without being targeted as a demonic figure to be feared and condemned. I had this experience last week when someone I knew but hasn’t seen for a while, and after the Holy Mass at Oleai church, asked for my reaction to Gov. Arnold Palacios’ State of the Commonwealth Address.
My response was personal. I told him I continue receiving my 25% retirement benefit and for this reason I am grateful. I also emphasize that the overall SOCA presentation was a poignant reminder of certain economic variables the CNMI faces and have no controlling power to effectuate immediate change, but despite this, Governor Palacios gave very compelling reasons for a hopeful economic outlook. Further I noted that contrary to the prevailing notion that good governance is bad politics, good governance is good politics. A government should work keeping in mind the welfare of the future generations, not the next election. The minute I finished my response he accused me of being deceitful and treachery. The next thing I knew, I was the topic of his malicious tirade on Facebook.
Having different opinions on any given subject is healthy. What is not healthy is that the new normal in politics has become vulgar and vile rhetoric directed at political opponents, which is obliterating the fundamental components of a functioning democracy of courtesy and civility. I hope today’s generation denounces this kind of toxicity in our political conversation. Woodrow Wilson once said, “The cure of bad politics is the same as the cure for tuberculosis. It is living in the person.”
DANIEL O. QUITUGUA
Saipan, CNMI
