America’s ticket to crazy town

R&B and soul icon Seal in his song “Crazy” once sang, “But we’re never going to survive unless we get a little crazy.”

Seal would know a thing or two about crazy; he divorced Heidi Klum. It appears that in current political discussion in the United States that “crazy” not only has made its way into the media, but crazy seems to be our only way to discuss major issues. This surplus of crazy isn’t helping us survive. It’s killing our political discussion.

When it comes to crazy, no one may be more associated with crazy than radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. On Feb. 29, Limbaugh called Georgetown University Law Center law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” when she testified before House Democrats in support of mandating insurance coverage for contraceptives. Not only was Limbaugh’s “Fluke” a personal attack on Fluke, but statements like this create stereotypes about what people really think conservatives are and what they believe. In addition, his remarks draw attention away from the debate over contraception to focus our attention on how absurd his statement was.

With the tragedy of the controversial shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, the national discussion has already invoked passion and outrage from black leaders, celebrities and politicians. The question still remains as to whether or not George Zimmerman should have been arrested and charged with murder. In the latest example of crazy, journalist Geraldo Rivera remarked, “I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.” To claim that Martin had it coming because he was wearing a hoodie is equivalent to saying a woman who was raped had it coming because she was wearing a short skirt. Statements like this divert our attention from the facts of the case and the tragedy of the situation.

In my personal life, my walk with God and faith has had its doubts. But one verse that has stuck out for me in the Bible is Proverbs 15:2, which says, “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.” We need a resurgence of civilized, knowledgeable and formal discussion in America. We can start by contacting advertisers that sponsor programs that contribute to harmful speech by asking them to pull funding towards those programs, such as has been done with Limbaugh’s radio show. It’s time to rein in our attention and get back to get conviction. Does believing in such a thing make me crazy?