Next time, let’s try ‘reversing the narrative’

I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened. I guess I was too much of an optimist on how fast it happened.

I refer to a news story involving a comment posted to social media shortly after the news broke regarding the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump. Simply put, officials with the Sioux Falls School District in South Dakota fired a behavior facilitator staff member at its middle school.

The reason? This person posted a comment on social media that, putting it bluntly, seemed to indicate the bullet that wounded Trump should’ve killed him instead.

At least the school district held this person accountable for their actions. After all, it represented a clear violation of this district’s code of conduct policy that holds teachers, administrators and other staff members accountable. Because students and parents see these school officials as “positive role models,” those who allow personal bias to override common sense deserve to face punishment.

Sure, the U.S. Constitution does allow for people to exercise their rights to free speech. However, there are times when they need to remember those rights do include a need to use common sense when it comes to violating the rights of others.

After all, what would this school official have done if this assassin targeted a Democrat versus a Republican? I would bet good money that person’s response would’ve gone in the opposite direction.

Over the past several years, I’ve seen way too many instances where people seem to abuse their rights to free speech by implying they’re always right, and those who disagree with them are ignorant and are simply being hateful. I simply lost count of how many times people of a certain political ideology were deemed “racist” because they refused to unconditionally accept the opinions of those making these accusations.

Whenever I hear about people who feel they’re always right, there’s something they forgot to take into account. They tend to ignore the possibility they’re not always right or there’s a different perspective they forgot to view.

There’s another factor these same people need to consider. It’s something I refer to as, “reverse the narrative.”

Let me explain.

Whenever I hear a news story or read something on social media that comes across as politically biased, I want these reporters and people posting these remarks to think about what would’ve happened if they were suddenly not part of the “political majority” in this nation or others around the world. Instead of constantly receiving favorable support from others, how would they react if they were suddenly seen as those practicing “hate speech,” and they would end up losing the rights they feel they deserve simply because they support the political majority in their city, state or this nation?

It’s something I feel everyone needs to consider, regardless of their social status or political beliefs. Just because someone feels they are more important than others doesn’t make them special nor does it grant them immunity from the consequences of their actions.

This is especially true for those who continue to remain in public office for years, sometimes decades, simply because they think they’re more important. Instead, society needs to constantly vote these same people into office and allow someone else to provide a different perspective on how to improve society versus leaving it in the “status quo.”

The same seems to hold true for those belonging to the nation’s rich elitist “clique,” who feel they are more important than everyone else simply because they have millions or billions of dollars as compared to the majority of people in the United States who struggle to make ends meet.

It’s these same men and women who want to change laws or impose stricter restrictions against those with a different perspective on how to improve society and to make this nation truly peaceful and happy.

When it comes to the types of political bias I’ve dealt with in recent years, one example that stands out happened while I was completing my undergraduate studies at one of the universities in Idaho. During a class that focused on teaching effective reading comprehension strategies, my colleagues and I needed to read a few books during the semester and share with others what we learned. While we had some choices in the books we chose to read, the professor made us select a book from a list she provided each of us.

Among the books we could choose included one in which the president of the United States won reelection to the White House. During his next term in office, the book described how the president somehow had the urge to start rounding up people of a certain religious belief and placing these people in internment camps.

Sound familiar?

It reminds me of the news headlines in recent months in which people of Christian beliefs face persecution from others in society who strongly oppose those beliefs. Instead of sitting down and simply listening to the beliefs these people follow, others in society want to punish them instead.

But in the case of the book some of my peers read in that college class, the people facing religious persecution were Muslims. The person who won reelection was Donald Trump.

Now let’s take a minute and “reverse the narrative.” Let’s just say this same author wrote that people of Christian faith faced the same type of persecution and ended up getting arrested and thrown into an internment camp. In addition, let’s say the author said the president was actually Joe Biden or Barack Obama.

Honestly, do you think the author faced any chance of getting that same book published if they reversed the narrative? Also, would that college professor have included that book in the list of options those in my college class were allowed to read?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

This is one of many examples why all of us in today’s society need to simply sit down and reconsider how we treat others, especially those we might disagree with. Instead of immediately disagreeing with those people, maybe what we need to do is simply sit down and talk to one another. If anything, it allows us to see both sides of the same story, which I think allows us to broaden our understanding of how we can work together to make our nation much stronger.

Looking back over everything that’s happened in recent years, I’m reminded of a quote often attributed to French poet Voltaire, which states, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

After everything we’ve dealt with following the attempted assassination of someone wanting to resume his duties as the nation’s president, we need to take time and learn to calm down. While we may not agree with everything Trump says, he and others like him deserve the right to be heard versus facing the persistent danger of being persecuted or permanently silenced.

– Brian S. Orban