Is Turn-About Fair Play?

For eight long years we have listened to many voices belittle President Obama and his family.  Fortunately, the Obama’s went high while so many of us went low. I’ve listened and read on social media the crude and often racially tinted comments directed toward them.  We all know of Mitch McConnell's statement about making President Obama a one-term president (and I know Mitch must have been terribly disappointed when it didn't work out that way and “the people” gave Obama a second term).  We have watched a "do-nothing" congress (both sides of the aisle) obstruct, criticize, hold sham investigative committees, shut down the government, prevent a sitting president from  fulfilling a constitutional obligation to appoint a Supreme Court Justice, and tried sixty times to repeal the Affordable Care Act as if it were the most important issue facing the American people and the world.  We have dealt with the "Birthers" (the most prominent of these being our current President-elect) and the Tea Party folk.  We have heard a congressman say, “You lie,” to the President of the United States during a State of the Union Address (heard around the world).  We remember the House Speaker, John Boehner, rejecting President Obama’s request to speak to a joint session of Congress—the first denial in the history of America—and, may I point out,  directed at the first African-American President.  We heard Newt Gingrich label the President as “The greatest food stamp President in American history,” a remark with clear undertones.   Sarah Palin wrote on FB “President Obama’s shuck and jive shtick (words used as a negative assessment of African-Americans) with these Benghazi lies must end.”  Now President-elect Trump will take the oath of office on Friday and I ask, “Is Turn-About Fair Play?”

But we must tell the “rest of the story.”  During the campaign we listened to candidate Trump call people out with demeaning and disrespectful words and downright falsehoods.  His treatment of the “free press” was disgusting and by the way, it still is.  Even when his statements were shown to be false by solid facts and even video and audio clips, Mr. Trump continued to spout them as though true.  He has claimed to be smarter than anyone else, including,  those serving in our government,  the military generals, the scientists around the world who say climate change is real, the intelligence agencies—and the list goes on and on.  He has done this with a demeaning attitude, putting people down, calling them crazy, losers, opponents, enemies, etc. and stripping them of dignity.  Is Turn-About Fair Play? 

Should we be disrespectful to the disrespectful?  Shall we do unto others as they do unto us?  Is Turn-About Fair Play?  The answer is a resounding “NO” even though there is a deep part of me (and you) that says, “YES.”  Let’s go high when others go low.  By the way,  I do not think “Protest” is disrespectful.