By Jim Dickson
Many years ago I was sitting in the first day of a political science class my sophomore year of college. The professor walked into the classroom and wrote the following on the board: “All general statements are untrue.”
He then turned to the class and asked if anyone would disagree with that statement. In that we were a group of new sophomore students and he was a college professor with a PhD behind his name, no one spoke up.
With that he said, “I start class this way because one of the main reasons that you are in here is to learn how to think for yourself, and if what I just wrote on the board is true, then the statement is also untrue because it is a general statement, so how can it be true and untrue at the same time?”
Often times today when I read an op-ed in the paper or hear talking heads on TV, I think back to that day, because it seems to me that in the past few years we have become a nation of people who are quite comfortable making general statements about almost anything.
For example the other day I heard a conversation of political pundits one of which made the statement “All Dems are after is anything that they can get free, and they have no regard for the financial health of the nation, and an out of control national debt means nothing to them.”
The same day I read an op-ed that the writer said that all Republicans are unfeeling, money grubbing bigots’ who have no regard for anyone but themselves and especially people of color. Both are general statements, and both are obviously untrue.
Sadly we hear this kind of speech more and more every day, and I can’t think of any reason that it is healthy for the country. It only benefits those who would do us harm and divides us. I am pretty sure that the truth is that most Americans on the left and the right share many common principles, such as the sanctity of life, the primacy of truth, the importance of the rule of law and due process, the punishment of criminals, freedom of speech and religion, the dignity of work, a free press, holding elected officials accountable for their actions, the value of family and a love of country to name a few. In other words we have much more that unites us that we do that divides us.
I am by nature a fiscal conservative and firmly believe that it is best for me personally and for the nation as a whole to have a sound fiscal policy and only spend what you can pay for. History teaches us that unrestrained spending never ends well. I am most displeased with the spending policies of the current administration, and would be very pleased to see them replaced by people who come closer to agreeing with me.
Having said this, I don’t think that the Biden administration is populated with evil, stupid people who are intent on bringing the country to its knees by unrestrained spending as some would have you think. I do believe that they are misguided, but that does not necessarily make them bad people.
I don’t think that if Republicans gain control of the government that they will do away with all social welfare programs, and leave the poor and disadvantaged to fend for themselves. I also believe that it is way past time for elected officials to stop the name calling and divisive speech, and once again work together to solve some of the serious problems that we are faced with. We will all be better for it if that happens.
We are coming into a political season where political propaganda from both sides are going to be flying at us fast and furious. What that college professor said to his class back in 1961 is just as true today as it was then, and for the benefit of us all, I hope that we will think it through for ourselves and not blindly accept what we are told by either side, and remember, “All general statements are untrue.”
Born, raised and educated in the Southwest, Jim Dickson served in the U.S. Navy Reserve in Vietnam before a 35-year business career. Retired to St. Helena Island, Dickson and his wife are fiscally conservative, socially moderate and active in Republican politics, though they may not always agree with Republicans. Having lived around the country and traveled around the world, Dickson believes that the United States truly is the land of opportunity.
