Unintended consequences(?)
Though President Obama is not going to Notre Dame at commencement to ‘dialogue’ with faculty and students about the merits of Catholic teachings on life issues, an enormous one has broken out as a result of the protests.
In the middle of all (okay, most) of these protests are some very passionate debates. And it is in those debates that critical thinking skills are applied and principles challenged and faith defended….with fervor.
Take a look at this one, all the way through the comments.
One question I’ve wondered but haven’t seen raised anywhere…..what’s the possibility that the prompting for this event originated from the White House? (Which does not much alter Fr. Jenkins’ role in it.)
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When I think of all this controlversy, I think of Richard Nixon. Yes, I liked him. I also think back on the war years, 1969-73, and campus protests. When allison Kraus, the singer, was just a glimmer in her parents’ eye and Allison Krause, the Kent State college student shot down by the natioal guard, was only a memory to her parents. The college protests were loud, but Nixon stayed above it. He knew these protesters would never vote for him, so he just ignored the protests. He was going to end the war in his time frame and he was president that was that. No matter how good and true the message, the messengers were seen as the lunatic fringe and mainstream America just ignored them. In fact the war went on for another 5 years and it was not the protests that brought it to an end.
Barack Obama will do the same. He knows that many have invested so much in his demonization that no matter what he did, he could not please these people. They did not vote for him and will never vote for him. So he will ignore them. Just as in the 60-70’s, these college protesters will be marginalized and their message, no matter how true, will be seen as coming from the lunatic fringe. All in all the message, no matter how true will be wrapped in a bunch of sound and furry signifying nothing. Or as Daniel Berrigan once said, “A revolution is interesting insofar as it avoids like the plague the plague it promised to heal.”
As for this being an Obama idea, not a chance. Notre Dame has a habit of inviting presidents, the last being George Bush who was protested for his stance on Capital Punishment. My guess is that Obama has a message that will ring true with those who understand Catholic Social teaching. My guess is that he will stay away from the non-breathing people in our society and concentrate on the plight of those who take in 20-40 breaths of oxygen per minute.
Criticisms of an agenda that devalues and destroys human life do not constitute ad hominem attacks on the policymaker driving the agenda. Accusing intelligent debaters of ‘demonization’ is intended as a conversation stopper. And terms like ‘the lunatic fringe’ debases the debate.
Diminishing the messengers does not diminish the message, no matter how much fury is aimed at both.
The Weigel article linked in the above post addresses the issues, and Catholic Social teaching, with true clarity.