policy of dignity

Barack Obama and the Politics of Dignity … Robert Fuller … Posted March 14, 2008 06:39 PM (EST)
Barack Obama is offering Americans dignity, and they're grabbing it with both hands. Dignity permeates his speeches, informs his policies, and is evident in his manner. Whether he intended to or not, Obama has become a herald of the politics of dignity.
But dignity for whom? For blacks and whites, for men and women, for gays and straights, for young and old, for rich and poor, and for immigrants and the native-born. Obama also reaches out to both sides of the aisle -- liberals and conservatives -- and to other nations and their leaders. Americans, eager to move beyond the fractiousness of identity politics and to end the standoff between libertarian and egalitarian ideologies, are lining up in support. They are ready for a leader committed to building a world of dignity for all.
What exactly is the dignity that people crave? It's more than good manners, respect, and civility. It's the absence of indignity. The American people know that indignities inflicted on the world have diminished America's stature. They know that the indignities they and their fellow citizens are suffering at home are sapping the American spirit.
Barack Obama's campaign has been called a "phenomenon," one with the potential to swell into a movement. But to realize its promise, a movement must evolve from a call for change to a plan for removing the obstacles that stand in the way of that change. How can the energy that has crystallized around Obama's candidacy be effectively focused to fight the indignities of everyday life?

At first blush, it would be easy to conclude this writing is endorsing a particular political candidate … not in the manner you might think…?

Whom you are choosing to endorse or vote for is solely up to you. What I believe is relevant in Mr. Fuller’s assessment is the affect one man’s manner of presentation is having on many, though certainly not all, Americans.

I too find it a “phenomenon” that with simply dignity ideas are resonating with Americans, many who feel for the first time in a long time, they are being heard and honored.

What is remarkable is most of “us” – that’s you and me – do not know how to react in such an environment as we’ve become satiated from the numbing affects of prevailing political rhetoric.

The message which resonates for me is if speaking with dignity was utilized by our elected leaders, we could in a New York minute turn around from the – fear – driven agenda of the recent past.

What might “we” achieve in an environment wherein everyone was treated with simple - dignity…?