As Ted Nugent comes to town today, civility is taking a hit. All of us are capable of incivility, all of us can say rude things.  And so I wrestle with my own brokenness, acknowledged and unacknowledged, and in light of this I would hope that we in this community would listen to these words sung by Tim McGraw:

“Hold the door, say please, say thank you/Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie/I know you got mountains to climb but/Always stay humble and kind/When the dreams you’re dreamin’ come to you/When the work you put in is realized/Let yourself feel the pride but/Always stay humble and kind.”

I celebrate the Rally for Civility from 5 to 7 p.m. today at New Denmark Park. This is where I want my grandchildren to be. I want them to always know the importance of humility and kindness, to treat all people with respect.  Yes, they can disagree with others but never does one’s disagreement with another person give them permission to insult, ridicule or dehumanize that other person. The freedom my grandchildren experience in this country does not give them license to inflict abuse on another person. Freedom does not mean living with the indefensible right to erode the dignity of another person.

Do you think that teachers in our school system would say the following to our children in their classes? “We are a free country, so if you feel like it, you are free to ridicule or insult each other, to be unkind and rude? We want to teach you the meaning of freedom so these things are okay if you choose to do them.” Do we want to live in a society where this behavior is embraced because defiantly we think to do otherwise would limit our freedom?

Ted Nugent wouldn’t last three minutes in a classroom. Of course, Ted Nugent is not violating the law, he has every right to abuse, ridicule and tear at another’s dignity. And we have every right to say not in my town, not on my street, not in my classroom. A casino out west canceled his show because the community could not reconcile its values with Ted Nugent’s.

Nugent called President Obama a “subhuman mongrel.” There is a business called Two Men and a Stolen Truck, so Nugent uses this in offering a racist title, “2 ni**ers and a stolen truck.”

The golden rule has never changed; it has never been less true. May these words never lose their value in our hearts and in our society, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  These words breathe life into what it means to be free.  Freedom is not cheap, and it should not be squandered by incivility and disdain for human dignity.

The fair board has done tremendous work over the years giving us great fairs, but at the same time with this action I refuse to look the other way. Too much is at stake. Even so, I remain confident in the board’s future decisions. Doing public service has its no end of challenges.

 

Joel B. Erickson

Albert Lea