Bridging the Divides: TikTok to Tipperary

"Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends" -Proverbs

Familiar Territory: For our nation, our world, and ....this blog. Issues of divisiveness, that is. I have written about being a 'house divided' and as recently as last week refuted accusations in the media that our nation is "helplessly divided". Some recent local, national, and world events have prompted me to comment on this recurring theme again. Perhaps once and for all, certainly in the spirit of 'all for one'.

Factions, Fractions: "Rival factions within...between..."  The fact that fighting between individuals, between as well as within groups, battles within and between families, violence between nations as well as domestically (as in "we are gonna have another civil war here") has been a hallmark of our national and world history should not be news to anyone reading this. It's  been around since Caine and Abel, of course. And, as we well know, there is both purposeful conflict, which brought our nation into being, as well as that which seems to serve no purpose but for reaping fear and destruction (we tend to refer to this in our contemporary culture as "terrorism"). Heck, as we have seen lately, you can be even be at war with yourself! As recent as this morning, as I listened to "World News", I heard several reports on both internal and external conflicts, based on political positions, Us versus Them, Haves versus Have Nots (regarding the vaccines for example)...No "Revelations" here, only "Proverbs" (see above)...

Conflicts Above and Below...Coming, Going: An across border conflict as well as a battle of various stakeholders within our state and within the country of Canada has been ignited by our Michigan governor, vowing to shut down Enbridge Line 5, which transports oil and natural gas from Canada under the straits of Mackinac, resources that are responsible for energizing many Michigan homes, especially those in the upper peninsula. Stay Tuned. While oil and other fuels continue to be a catalyst for feuds the world wide, a growing trend are those concerning water. Living near the Great Lakes, we are keenly aware, for example, of attempts to 'divert' water to other more arid areas. Canadians are stakeholders here and also claim partial ownership. Stay tuned. Even more locally is a consideration of a local community to separate from the main sewer line, with both environmental and financial implications. Stay tuned.

One Lawyer, Two Many(?): The propensity for people to sue one another, especially when harm/injury is perceived, tends to amplify when there is more money at stake, reflected in part by studies of lottery winners (where all of a sudden, when the public discovers your 'deep pockets', people you didn't know you had slandered or otherwise harmed come out of the woodwork, with lawsuit in hand -- or at least the hand of their attorney). Bringing to mind the old story about the small town attorney who was starving until another attorney moved into town, next door, and the numbers of lawsuits filed in small town USA skyrocketed, as did the respective incomes of the two attorneys. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate and admire most people who dedicate themselves to 'practicing law' (including a daughter), as well as those who dedicate themselves to upholding it (such as police officers) -- similar to the news coverage we gripe about, the blame for such contentiousness is on all our shoulders, on our willingness to unleash these legal beagles; it's us who hire them (such as in the countless numbers of divorces I have witnessed in my office, where it only takes one scorned spouse and his/her attorney to instigate a costly legal battle that ends up raiding their child's education fund). 

Sowing "Discord": Traditionally referring to the acts of saying and doing things which cause mistrust among one another, resulting in arguments and fights...'antisocial media'...but now comes "Discord"--an American VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)..."designed to create communities...your place to talk or hang out together"...a new meaning in a new world--who would have thought discord could be actually strike a harmonious note? Perhaps an attempt to prove George Orwell (who prophesied dystopia) wrong, or maybe just a catchy name to get people to sign up, thinking they will get an opportunity to create divisiveness, instead meeting Miss Congeniality...

Generations, Pigmentation, Gentrification: "People moving in, people moving out...𝅘𝅥𝅯" (I get to use one of my favorite songs from 1970 again, Cool!). So many pressures at play, trying to wreak havoc and divisiveness between as well as within groups: societal trends, political, economic, disparate health care....PANDEMIC! There's always been and always will be these types of pressures and problems that have the capacity to either 'divide and conquer' or unite us in purpose...its up to us: me, you, and we. 

Balkanization, Hyphenization: Not only in our country but across the globe, there has been a trend throughout my lifetime (and throughout history when I take a peek) for people to define, align, identify with various groups, whether categorized by common ancestry, geography, ethnicity, political party, or even fan base alliance (on a lighter side). Frequently reflecting pride and loyalty; the key idea here is the extent to which such a designation sets 'them' apart from 'us', as in any adjective before "American", for example, versus an American who relates to a particular ancestral background(s). The guiding question is the degree to which the 'hyphen' unites or divides...

Between and Within: While teaching at an urban university, while enjoying a diverse audience, who consistently rated the course as one with meaningful, "useable" material, a course in which we had lively discussions on a range of current topics germane to teaching in and around an urban setting, I was suddenly informed I no longer had complete control over my syllabus. That is, I was now required to include the topic of diversity, which would be audited by the department. So much for academic freedom. My initial repugnance gave way to some reflection on how I could incorporate this topic without surrendering my core beliefs regarding academic freedom. What evolved was a challenge to the class as to how to find diversity within, not simply between groups (however a group is defined). Which gave way to a fruitful discussion as aspiring educators in treating students as individuals rather a condition with which they are being designated (e.g., 'learning disabled'). In the end, I have to admit, while I still find it repugnant to have such strictures imposed by some bureaucrats far removed, the class was further enriched.....thank you, I guess. The main point for today is that we as a nation and a world, when ostensibly raising awareness of a favored or disadvantaged group, we are increasingly losing sight of the great diversity and range of opinion within groups. That is, whether you intended to or not, you are STEREOTYPING!  

Bridging the Gap: The gap covering four generations and two world wars, that is. In walks Amy Hawkins, 110 years young, whose rendering of the song which became popular in the UK in particular during war time, "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" went viral on TikTok. As covered by BBC: "It's not an association one would make, a 110 year-old with TikTok..." As the interview continued, inquiring how four generations could survive under one roof together, Amy simply replied, "we felt blessed" (perhaps not the answer the interview was hoping for, in this age of controversy mongering), humbly adding that singing the song and the unexpected attention "brought us all together". A lesson for the ages.

Teachable Moments: Children are not born with prejudice, but born into it...they don't just learn but catch values by watching and listening. For almost thirty years I consulted once per week in a semi-rural, semi-town, semi-village, semi-suburb (in other words, a rather unique community) which, for its small size, surprisingly multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and where I rarely sensed any controversy emanating from group identity. One superintendent with a long tenure was interviewed by an area news station, inquiring about the key to harmony the school district was known for, the lack of racial strife so many other areas seem to be experiencing: "the only problem we have with race is students racing down the hall for lunch". He acknowledged the key ingredients were somewhat elusive but assured the reporter such harmony would continue, "if they just leave us be and don't bring too much attention to us". It is noteworthy that since that report the community has changed considerably, with many 'outsiders' moving in, but my continued contact with representatives of the district inform me the harmony has generally been sustained. "Ball of Confusion" indeed.