It has become a truism that many liberals and also
conservatives in American politics now tend to isolate themselves in groups of
like-minded thinkers and refuse to listen to the ideas and arguments of people
from the other side.
This is true of political leaders and also of many regular
citizens.
Too few Americans allow themselves to carefully and
sincerely listen to the views of those who disagree with their politics.
We
have, for the most part, become a nation that refused to learn from the "other
side" of the political divide.
Many, perhaps most, Americans now actually
believe that the "other" political side is all wrong and nothing of value to
teach us.
Harold J. Laski of the London School of Economics and
Political Science wrote of one political leader:
"He has openly thrown
overboard all pretense of majority-rule. He will obtain power not because the
mass of the electorate supports his views, but because his followers will not
allow opposition to make itself heard."
If we arrive at this point, our freedom will be in jeopardy.
Too many Americans today would likely respond to this quote with the question:
"Which side is he on? If he's on the right side, it's good that opposition
voices are shut down. If he's on the wrong side, this is a tragedy."
Freedom can only exist when all sides are allowed a free
voice.
Note that the person Laski was talking about in this quote
was Mussolini.
Social Leader Daily by Oliver DeMille
