The Lowest Common Denominator

My parents were always concerned about who I hung around with in my formative years.  I was equally concerned about the friends my children chose to be with as they were growing up.  Why? The answer is simply that as parents we do not want our children hanging around with those who would “bring them down”  in terms of manners, behavior, morals,  and speech, etc.  

The Lowest Common Denominator (LCD) in mathematics is the smallest number that can be divided exactly by all the numbers below the lines in a group of two or more fractions.  It is the number underneath in a fraction after simplification.  LCD in the context in which I am thinking is also used to say that the quality of something is poor because it is designed or intended to appeal to the largest possible number of people and to their baser, ignoble selves.  We can be “reduced” to the lowest common denominator by our associations.  

The recent war of words between Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden illustrate this point.  Mr. Biden has been suckered into Mr. Trump’s behavior, manners, morals and speech patterns.  He has been reduced to the lowest common denominator when he begins to take on Trumpism with Trumpish speech and tweets.  If you want to know what I oppose most about Trumpism, it is this:  the American people are in danger of being reduced to the lowest common denominator.

Andy Borowitz wrote in the New Yorker last year about the late Stephen Hawking, who “called Trump a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator.”  Trump’s campaign manager responded:  “For a so-called genius, this was an epic fail…If Professor Hawking wants to do some damage, maybe he should try talking in English next time.”  Later that same day, reports Borowitz, Hawking attempted to clarify his remark by saying, “Trump bad man.  Real bad man.”

Goodness is contagious, but so is meanness, racism, homophobia, misogyny, name-calling, character assassination, etc.  Don’t allow yourself to be infected.  Don’t allow yourself to be reduced to your lowest common denominator.  There is in all of us a baser, ignoble self that can be ignited by the company we keep.

Katydid's photo of a flock of sheep in England--2015