Attack Mentality

Over the past few decades, it appears that the American demeanor has been migrating towards an attack mentality. To be more specific, people are becoming more likely to instantaneously flip the switch to defensive attack measures rather than completely hear an opposition idea, thought, statement, or suggestion. Personally, I see this within myself at times and it makes me sad to think that our society is becoming one based upon defensiveness rather than rational and objective sensitivity. Our country has experienced a myriad of “hot button” issues throughout our existence and each generation has dealt with division their own way. American and some foreign societies have become exactly what our previous generations worked so hard to dissolve… hard hearted, closed minded and defensive individuals possessing an attack mentality.

Free societies have always been the bastion of hope to strive for. Traits of the free society promises freedom of speech, religion, press, and many other core ideas of a democratic ideology. These tenets create a standard of living people in “less free” countries dream of experiencing. However, the traits of free society also bring various responsibilities for the citizens within. Primarily, citizens must respect the rights of each individual within the society and not force upon them their individual ideology or thought process. There are also traps within a free society which must be avoided. Ideas and policy that replace freedom with so-called “what’s best for the people” laws are a replacement of freedom with a slow burning fuse of socialism.

Our forefathers had great ideas regarding freedom because they chose to leave tyranny behind and their sole focus was upon creating a truly free society, one that is run by the people, for the people. There have been great leaders in our history who have stood up for what is right for free individuals. Slavery has been abolished, labor laws enacted, unions were created to protect worker rights, and women were given their rightful standing amongst society. Even racism has been tackled by our society and continues to be fought against. The American Dream is more attainable today as compared to any previous generation for those willing to work and earn it.

Free society sounds great and is for all intents and purposes. Free markets allow businesses to prosper and generate wealth for many individuals. However, even with all of the positives of our free society, we appear to be evolving into a segregated society of individualistic segments vigorously opposing any potential naysayers to their belief or stance on any issue. All we hear about on television is left wing or right wing, liberal or conservative, women or men, married versus non married. All are very real segments within society and all very adamant about their beliefs. Historically, the segments were rational and open to public debate about issues and ideas and some even – gasp – changed their mind after giving the opposition the platform to express their opinion.

Today, the openness to allow opposition to express their points of view has become very limited. Rather than listen, we choose to immediately go on the defensive, interrupt the process and being attacking our opposition as if they are lunatics with no right to speak or have an opinion. Our leaders have even shown these traits. Our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates display these traits. It’s not just the individual following the attack mentality. It is everyone from our elected officials to the young adults sitting through class in junior high school.

We are all becoming at fault. We have taken our freedom to a place where individual segments are right and everyone else is 100% wrong and therefore they must be “forced” to agree with the side with more power, money, or political clout. Is there anything free about that? Our society must return to a more forgiving one which holds our tongue and decision making process until we can honestly listen to what others have to say. When was the last time you actually listened to the argument from someone you disagreed with? Did you tune them out only focusing upon your rebuttal? Did you cut them off mid-sentence so you could refute their facts and beliefs? Did you choose to belittle them and thus make their argument seem less important?

We have all done this from time to time, but rather than being an infrequent attack, it has become the expected reaction amongst any debate featuring divided beliefs or viewpoints. This simple expectation is part of the problem. Expected does not make it right. Our free society guarantees us the right to speak our mind without fear of retribution. But, given our society of individuals who can only attack those in opposition, are we really going to have true freedom as our country moves forward? I try and catch myself when falling into the simple attack mindset and focus upon hearing out those around me with views different than mine. I hope you undertake the challenge and do so yourself. Until we can dissolve the attack mentality that has fostered amongst our society, we will continually be fighting amongst ourselves and create further chasms of division which we may never climb out from.

Listen to people and truly hear their point of view. Most of the time, we all want the same thing. It’s how we get there where we differ. If we can agree that our goals are the same, working on the path to get there should be something that brings us together, not drive us apart. Temper the attack mentality and our society will be in a much better place, politically, socially, and emotionally.