Politics as blood-sport

Human beings are watchers. We have an innate need, even compulsion, to see what’s going on with others. We are always looking to get some satisfaction from what we see in, and about, the people in our lives, and especially those we don’t even know ourselves. In the most benign instance, it’s no more than “people watching.” The usually innocent observing passersby at the mall, a concert, in the park – wherever – and imagining who they are, what they’re up to, perhaps their conversations, motives, and realities. Yet we are not wired to be merely observers, onlookers, or voyeurs; deep in the human psyche we long to be engaged *spectators* - willing active participants from the sidelines, egging on the action, cheering and jeering the players in the episodes taking place in front of us. And this has been true forever.

Think about it: David takes on Goliath – before this story became a metaphor for the underdog, it is a brutish myth about the likely obliteration of a weakling by a gruesome and powerful strongman. Gladiators in the Roman Coliseum provided such entertainment, not merely as words on a page, whether fighting one another or attempting to subdue wild beasts. Medieval jousting contests pitted knight against knight in violent quests for blood and valor. In our own day, much of the same can be said of pro wrestling and the NFL, with their amped-up, testosterone-fueled exhibitions to demonstrate physical and emotional dominance over an opponent.

Fascinating that the human desire, delight in promoting and witnessing contestants do battle – even unto the death – has also always been found in the political arena (heck, even the common use of that phrase, “political arena,” goes toward this point). Lauded are the successes of a “political animal.” And of course Clausewitz declared “war is but the continuation of politics by other means” – equating political intrigue with waging combat.

It should be no surprise that the current election cycle – for so many reasons the most insidious, aggressive, insulting, heart-wrenching in history – has drawn so much attention from the masses. Especially due to the non-stop available barrage of media coverage, and the idea that one candidate or another or some other actor, is going to do something, say something, even more outrageous or outlandish every day – we cannot help but be riveted. Politics now calls on our basest instincts, like those who are compelled by a train wreck as if occurring in slow motion. Politics satisfies our primal blood-lust.

How do we return sportsmanship to the playing field of public life? 

Shelter against the storm

Tonight begins the fall harvest celebration of Sukkot, the biblical precursor to both Thanksgiving and Hanukkah. Since days of old, it has stood as the most significant time, referred to by the ancient rabbis as THE festival. For it, Jews build sukkot –reminiscent of the temporary booths in the wilderness or ancient harvest times. These structures are intentionally impermanent, reminding us of the precariousness of our lives. Jews are commanded to *dwell* in the sukkah for seven days; that is, to eat, sleep, and hang out. Just as the sukkah is deliberately delicate, in need of care and attention for its upkeep, so too are the lives of all those around us. To this point, the theme of the holiday is hachnasat orchim (Hebrew; literally “welcoming guests”). The Torah instructs no less than 36 times that we are to “love the stranger, for you know the heart of the stranger, having been strangers in the land of Egypt” (I’ve long believed that this is the earliest promotion of empathy in Western thought). Sukkot is the observance, par excellence, of this notion: by enacting hachnasat orchim, we are to welcome the stranger; embrace the *other*; recognize the vulnerability we each share. Therefore, Sukkot embodies everything that Donald Trump is not.

Trump and his campaign – supporters, surrogates, sycophants alike – have spent months offending, insulting and vilifying everyone imaginable. Muslims & Mexicans (immigrants of all types for that matter), veterans & people with disabilities, and every category of person that cannot defend itself, have all suffered from Trump’s hateful, hurtful speech. Now we’re seeing that he’s acted in offensive manner toward individuals as well – his unique brand of misogyny is nearly unbelievable. And yet, through it all, a small rigid group of devotees stand by him, not having the guts or brains to denounce him.

And so as Sukkot arrives, we are prompted once again to foster openness and compassion toward one another – and especially toward those who are most vulnerable in our midst – if we are to overcome the vile rhetoric that has been allowed to fester, and the violent overtones that are emerging from it. Or, as someone else has said, to remember that love trumps hate.

The powerful thing about Jewish tradition is that beyond its particular ritual aspects, the ethical guidelines it teaches are meant to be universal – that is that all people are created in the Divine Image (whatever that really means), worthy of the highest esteem and respect. When we recall the words, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” also note R. Joachim Prinz’s interpretation: Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept. It means our collective responsibility for the preservation of man’s dignity and integrity. Perhaps this Sukkot, so close to Election Day, will inspire us to live up to the best in ourselves, in our society, and defeat Trumpism with a resounding blow. It will then truly be z’man simchateynu - the Time of our Rejoicing.