BLOG 102020: If You're Tired of the ARGUING in Today's Politics, You MUST Read This!

If You're Tired of the ARGUING in Today's Politics, You MUST Read This!

Are you tired of the contentiousness in today's political environment? 

I was watching the news the other day and the anchor was interviewing some pundit who said that he wished we could return to "normal" and not have so much "chaos" in the country. As an educated student of American history, I thought to myself, "THAT'S an interesting thing to say!"

Well...

In 2009, one of our finer political journalists named Howard Fineman wrote a book you should read. The book was titled The Thirteen American Arguments.

Allow me to quote from the introduction...

First, he defines the word "argument."

"By 'argument' I mean something besides shouting or name-calling, though both are often part of the transaction. I mean a clash between at least two people (or regions, political parties, candidates, or economic interests) over facts and ideas in the search for answers—in this case, answers to questions about the future and fate of America. The gist (the 'argument,' if you will) of this book is:

We are the Arguing Country, born in, and born to debate. The habit of doing so—the urgent, almost neurotic need to do so—makes us unique and gives us our freedom, creativity, and strength. By my count, there are thirteen foundational arguments that comprise our public life—hence the title of this book. Rather than argue too much, which is the conventional wisdom's critique, we in fact do not argue enough, about the fundamentals. If we fail to draw strength from our argumentative nature, we risk losing what made us great and gives us hope. Our disputes are not a burden, but a blessing.

The United States stands out in sharp relief (from other tribes and nations of the planet) for one reason.

We are an endless argument.

We forget—or fail to realize—how unlike most of the world we are in this essential characteristic. In China, when Mao died, there was no debate over his legacy; schoolchildren were commanded to put their heads down on their desks and cry. In the name of jihad, the Al Qaeda training manual dismisses all "Socratic debates, Platonic ideals, and Aristotelian diplomacy." In America, by contrast, we have been debating our very identity from the first days of our existence.

The Thirteen American Arguments bitterly divide us, but they also define, inspire, and ultimately unite us by bestowing legitimacy on hard-fought deals. They are the force that makes us whole and who we are. They produced a civil war, the still-smoldering embers of racial tribalism and pitiless economic competition, but they also produced the freest of societies, and an ongoing (if imperfect) accommodation between capital and community, and a Constitution that stands as the beacon to the world even if we sometimes honor it in the breach. Arguing keeps us moving fitfully forward—toward being worthy of the gifts God gave us."

So, the next time you tire of the arguments, turn the boob tube or Twitter or Facebook or whatever off, have a cup of coffee, tea, a beer, or a glass of wine and be damn glad that we are the Arguing Country!

Here are the thirteen arguments...

  1. Who Is a Person?
  2. Who Is an American?
  3. The Role of Faith
  4. What Can We Know and Say?
  5. The Limits of Individualism
  6. Who Judges the Law?
  7. Debt and the Dollar
  8. Local v. National Authority
  9. Presidential Power
  10. The Terms of Trade
  11. War and Diplomacy
  12. The Environment
  13. A Fair, "More Perfect" Union.

As always, I welcome your comments.


Jim Castiglia, Founder 
Business Street Fighter Consulting, LLC
919-263-1256
http://www.BSF.Consulting