CAP-LOCK Rhetoric

The best way to get web hits is to say something loudly.

Our discourse is often as subtle as a teenager with a stuck caps key. We don’t just oppose the President’s agenda, but WE STAND AT ARMAGEDDON AND WE BATTLE FOR THE LORD.



While that last line got Teddy Roosevelt some cheers, and T.R. would have made a world-class blogger, it was part of a losing campaign. Extreme rhetoric works to drive traffic, but it does not win many votes.

Of course, Frank Schaeffer will soon blog an apology for helping craft T.R.’s angry theocratic rhetoric through “my creation of the HATEFUL religious right in the mid-eighties.” In fact, Schaeffer’s next book will explain how he crafted Abraham Lincoln and the Republican party’s overt use and exploitation of Evangelicals during the 1860 campaign with America loathing rhetoric and how he now takes all (or most of it) back.

All of which demonstrates that having some rhetorical fun can be fine within limits. Jesus was not afraid of calling powerful people bad names. We needn’t be prudes about it, since a little parody or satire is good for a republic. Putting a pin in the pompous egos of many of our leaders is good for their souls.

Any professor knows the truth of this  . . . since we end up being parodied endlessly. Until you watch an honor student deconstruct your foibles for laughs, you might (on a good day) take yourself too seriously as a teacher.

However, too much CAP-LOCK rhetoric is morally irresponsible.

Why? Some rhetoric is dangerous, because it can be reasonably expected to incite weak minded people to evil deeds.  Any calls to violence, even metaphorical violence, against our leaders should be condemned. This is particularly true of the President of the United States. The presidency is a dangerous job in a world full of unhinged people many of whom need no excuse to become dangerous.

Talking too hatefully about the President can be like a man shouting “fire” at a Al-Qaeda  convention. It is just reckless and is too likely to be misunderstood.

Lately, I have seen or heard about a few protesters carrying signs about our President that struck me as over the line. President Obama is our head of state and deserves a measure of respect as a respect. He is also engaged in a difficult and challenging job that tends to attract lunatic opposition to any man holding the job.

We need not pity him, he asked for the gig, but we should pray for him. We should also condemn any talk of violence or extremist rhetoric such as comparing Obama to Hitler. The fact that infantile people on the left did the same to Bush is no excuse.

I strongly oppose the President’s politics. He will not get my vote in 2012, but I need not use CAP-LOCK rhetoric to make the case. It is ineffectual and morally wrong. Learning charity in my loyal opposition to the President should not be hard for an evangelical Christian.

After all a gospel that calls us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. Loving our President does not mean voting for him, respecting his positions, or treating him with kid gloves. It does mean condemning any hint of violent rhetoric in our presence in strong terms and turning off our CAPS-LOCK key.