Here’s the thing -- I don’t want to belabor the ongoing Springer-eqsue tragedy that is Cindy Sheehan. Given her behavior at the Capitol tonight, allow me to offer a framework as to how she might be treated.
Choice one, we take her seriously. We consider her a mature adult who is responsible for her behavior. In that case, we judge her on what she does and says, as we would any other person.
Choice two, we see her primarily as a grieving mother whose suffering overwhelms her judgment. If that is her identity, she should not be treated as an adult in control of her faculties and cannot be taken seriously.
I prefer the former. She should be treated with utmost gentleness and respect in regards to her loss. But we must also wonder about the judgment of a person who does photo ops on her son’s grave, and insults her sympathetic host at the Capitol. To give her a pass is to treat her as something less than an adult.
If one believes that the parent of a dead soldier has a singular moral perspective, certainly one must take the time to seek out the opinions of many such parents. Next time you a presented with a person who appreciates Ms Sheehan’s tactics, politely ask what other such parents have said.
Update: Looks it was all a mistake and someone on the other side of the aisle got the same treatment. So many good pixels wasted...
Comments