Insult Politics

A couple of weeks back the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, was attacked at the end of a political rally in Milan. His assailant hurled a statuette at Berlusconi breaking his nose and several teeth. This assault engendered shock across the world, and much soul-searching within Italian political circles. The obvious question being asked was - has the disintegration of the political debate and the increasing use of insults against political opponents created a “climate of hatred” in which conditions are ripe for the insults to develop into physical violence?

This issue should be one that all South Africans take seriously. Our own political front is awash with deeply personal verbal attacks and insults. Ironically enough, on Reconciliation Day last month, many papers headlined the spat between the ANC Youth League president Julius Malema and the SACP deputy general secretary Jeremy Cronin. Malema, in particular, is renowned for this sort of insult politics, and indeed on Reconciliation Day itself was quoted as deriding the SACP as “greedy yellow communists.”

So what does the Gospel have to say to this sort of insult politics? Well, for a start the teaching of Jesus would challenge us towards serious personal reflection. How often is this sort of ‘insult politics’ played out on a micro level within our own lives? How often have we spoken insults towards others? Whether it was aloud or quietly muttered, or even just thought, it doesn’t seem to make a difference to Jesus. In this way, have we contributed towards a “climate of hatred” within our own community, or perhaps even our own family?

If we are to contribute towards a better society we need to allow ourselves to be personally challenged as to how we speak and think of others and in doing so we can become part of creating and sustaining a “climate of love”. The Bible reminds us how powerful words are, and if we live in a way that recognizes that and uses the power of words positively, we can make a tremendous difference.

I am not advocating that we close down political and personal debates so as to minimize risk. Instead we should fearlessly tackle all kinds of issues, policies, divergent thoughts and opinions in a way that stimulates creative thinking and promotes tolerance of difference. This should be done in a spirit of gentle and humble grace for this was the way of Jesus, and lest we forget, it was a way modeled on the political scene by Nelson Mandela, and indeed is the very reason this country is fortunate enough to even celebrate a Reconciliation Day.