Respect

In January I had the privilege of going to see an amazing production of Orwell’s classic, Animal Farm, by the Exeter University Theatre Company.   Orwell wrote the book as an allegory of the 1917 Russian Revolution and in the story animals throw out their human masters and take over running a farm.  The pigs, who are the most intelligent animals, take charge and things start out well with a fair democratic process.  However, the scheming of the leader of the pigs, Napoleon, gradually allows him to become an outright dictator who uses the other animals for his own benefit.  He is helped by a group of vicious dogs that he has trained and in particular by his propagandist, Squealer the pig, who justifies every action to the other animals convincing them that Napoleon is a great leader. 

Squealer boldly tells outright lies in an aggressive way which, together with the ferocious dogs, convince the other animals to continue following Napoleon.  The laws of animalism are gradually changed and reduced and the one that said, ‘All animals are equal’ becomes ‘All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others’.
The performance seemed exceptionally appropriate in our current political climate, and even more so when over the following days the storm following Kellyanne Conway’s bold remarks about ‘alternative facts’ dominated the mediaThe claims and counterclaims of fake news, media bias, lies and ‘alternative facts’ have continued to dog the Trump administration since.  For me it is not just the obvious lies/alternative facts/gaffs which are the problem, but the forceful way in which they are put and the unrepentant attitude of those that are caught out.  Of even more concern is that, in this storm of information and misinformation, people are becoming more polarised in their views and less willing to hear each other.  Whether it is around Brexit, ‘Trumpism’, or any political issue there is tendency for the media to present, and for people to take, a very black and white view; people are either in or out, with the programme or opposed to it.  Anyone who voices concerns is criticised as being against progress or undemocratic, when ironically the right to express concerns is a huge part of the democratic process.  

It is the very reason in the makeup of the UK parliament we have an opposition; to question the government of the day and hold them accountable to the public.  However, I think it is also vital within any administration/group to have people that will honestly and respectfully question the direction that it is taking.  When we stop listening to those within a group who have a different view to ourselves then we can become victims of ‘Groupthink’; where the desire to suppress dissenting views within a group results in decisions being made without the critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints.  History records some very costly mistakes of administrations that have become victims of Groupthink... the failed invasion of Castro’s Cuba in 1961 (the Bay of Pigs disaster) is perhaps the most well-known.  Perhaps the key here is in the words ‘honestly’ and ‘respectfully’… two values that seem to be very sadly lacking in much of world politics today.  So despite the many claims of bias, we do need our media to make politicians accountable for the truth in their claims, otherwise propaganda will be the only voice.  On top of this but we also need to address how we speak to and listen to each other.   If we are going to move forward with true democratic values then in government (and in any group), we need to find ways of being able to disagree with people whilst still respecting their viewpoint and we need an openness to hear people who will respectfully challenge the direction we are taking. Perhaps two Bible verses we should bear in mind are:1 Peter 2.17 – ‘Show proper respect to everyone…’Proverbs 15.22 – ‘Without counsel, plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed.’ Rev Barry Jackson