An essay on political name-calling

 

This morning's news is filled with self-righteous charges of name-calling flying back and forth between people who seem to enjoy name-calling. Whatever really was said, or was intended to be said, if it sounds even a little bit like name-calling, the other side (both sides) is on it with fury: "How dare you...!" 

 "The pot calls the kettle black," and the kettle responds in kind.

It's exhausting and demeaning, this style of politics. It won't do any good for me to call for a stop to it. I'd like to think we are better than this, but we aren't. Calling our adversary hurtful names just feels too good to abandon the practice.