Respect for Those We Reject -- Part One

Prologue

Eleven days ago, Officer Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck until Floyd died. He probably meant only to restrain Floyd, but the effect was death – another death of a black man at the hands (or knee) of a white police officer. Eleven days. It feels like a lifetime. For many black men (and women), it has been a lifetime.

In response to the protests and riots that broke out across the country, President Trump expressed sadness over Floyd’s death and continued with a call to governors and police officers to dominate the protestors and restore law and order. The Houston Police Chief spoke for some law men and women, telling President Trump, “If you can’t say something constructive, shut your mouth.” Some (a smaller number I think) have agreed with Trump’s call.

Several notable voices spoke out against Trump: his first Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, and his former Chief of Staff, General John Kelly, both stated clearly that Trump’s use of the military to stop protests was wrong and that Trump himself is dividing the nation when unity is most needed. Perhaps the most blistering critique of Trump came from George Will.

Will is a conservative political commentator, with a background in political philosophy. According to Wikipedia, he began life with left-leaning views, but, after a visit to the Eastern Bloc, he became solidly conservative. His economic views (quoting from Wikipedia) illustrate this conservatism: “Will is a libertarian-style conservative who supports deregulation and low taxes as he thinks these stimulate economic growth and are more morally fair. He was opposed to both George W. Bush and Barack Obama's stimulus plans. Will supports abolishing the minimum wage and creating voluntary personal retirement accounts in order to reduce the federal cost of Social Security.” His political views now are conservative libertarian.

In an opinion column in the Washington Post, Will stated directly that Trump must go (be voted out in November) and so must his congressional enablers. Having spent most of his life as a Republican, he left the party when Trump took it over and now writes against Trump with vigour. His primary critique is that Trump does not have the moral character or the loyalty to the Constitution to be President of the USA.

The Situation

In this context, I come to the situation that prompted me to sort out my thoughts in this post. Someone referenced Will’s opinion piece on Facebook. Someone else replied:
George Will can certainly write: “Those who think our unhinged president’s recent mania about a murder two decades ago that never happened represents his moral nadir have missed the lesson of his life: There is no such thing as rock bottom. So, assume that the worst is yet to come.” ... [But] I will never be able to get past the way he (George Will) dismissed the deaths in New Orleans after Katrina. He suggested that (presumably white middle class) parents show their children the photos of black bodies floating face-down in the water as a lesson in what happens if you don’t work hard enough and end up poor. It is satisfying to read his evisceration of our craven president, but Will holds some dark views.

I have not named the author or the owner of the Facebook page, since I have not asked if I may quote them. The views expressed lead me to the question I am struggling with; I am not responding to the people on Facebook.

Here is my question: How do I respect people with whom I disagree? If they hold views I find problematic, how do I state what I need to say while at the same time maintaining full respect for the other?

I will let that question sit here (and in my mind) and come back to it in my next post.