Temperance in criticism

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I’m fairly cynical about the “greatness” of this country I live in. But in moments when emotion doesn’t get the best of me, and when I genuinely consider the opinions of those with whom I generally disagree, I find myself tempering my instinct to demonize these United States and all that they contain.

I criticize the press for not adequately reporting on the important issues of the day, which I know they’re missing because I’ve read about them in sources that I deem reliable. Then it hits me, what was mentioned in a journalists’ roundtable on NPR, and which I’ve thought of before, I’m reading about these things that are “under-reported” in the same press that I’m criticizing for under-reporting them. Even Noam Chomsky himself, someone whose intellect I’ve long admired, and whose criticism of the press is particularly strident, has littered the reference sections in his many books with the names of hallmarks of the mainstream media. He himself is relying on those who he criticizes, as am I.

I often jump down the throat of my government, with all its corruption and inefficiency sometimes tempting me to drop the “civil” from the “civil libertarian” description that I use to describe an element of my political ideology. However, even as I criticize the daily operations of the government entity for which I work, I can step back and see that when a sufficient number of citizens overtly express their displeasure with the way things are, their representatives take notice. For example, ethics legislation recently passed the U.S. House, and a similar bill has passed the Senate. Is it as far reaching as I would have liked? No, but if it remains intact after it is conferenced, and passes with the overwhelming majorities it has already received, it will be difficult for the President to veto it. A bill like this is a significant victory for average citizens who want a government more responsive to their wishes, because no lobbyist wants their influence curtailed, and few members actually want fewer perks. These bills are a direct response to voters' wishes expressed during the last election.

Lest anyone reading this think I’ve turned to the dark side and become a “patriot,” be sure that my tendency to criticize – hopefully constructively – is not at an end; however, I’m going to try to add someone to the long list of those subjects of my critical eye…myself.

P.S. While I have previously considered the thoughts I wrote about here, this column prompted me to put "pen to paper" so to speak.