Slander
and Libel
When the
debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers.”
Socrates
(died 399 BCE)
Slander is defined as an
action or crime of making false statements damaging to a person's
reputation. Libel is the written form of slander—a written
statement of defamation. Both are intended to give someone a bad
name. When the dust settles on this era in American politics, I
believe it will be remembered as the time when slander and libel went
mainstream.
We all say things we
regret when we are in a heated frame of mind. In normal times, the
civilized thing to do is to go to whomever we've slandered in our
moment of hot-headed anger, and apologize. That seems to be a thing
of the past. Nowadays, we just spew, and let the chips fall where
they may. So much for civilized behavior.
One of the most
disturbing parts of this new trend toward ditching so-called
“political-correctness” is that we seem to have regressed in our
emotional maturity. Look at the date above—Socrates died in 399
BCE. In his day, debate (not twitter), was the common form of
communication for airing of grievances. And yet, the human response
to losing the debate was the same as it is today. More than two
thousand years have passed, and we're still slandering one another.
And now, we're also guilty of libel.
It could be discouraging
if we let it. The old cliché of two steps forward, three back
applies here. I can almost hear that ominous voice that narrates
political ads asking, “Will humanity make progress? Or are they
hopelessly mired in attack and recrimination? Stay tuned for the
answer.” Some days I think the dinosaurs should have survived.
Maybe then we'd still be living in holes in the ground, and wouldn't
have time for all this bad-mouthing.
Here is my hope: That we
will remember who we are. That we will call our spirits back from all
this acrimony and ill-will. That we will realize that we, ourselves,
do not like to be slandered, and therefore, will hold our tongues
when speaking of anyone else. It is well to remember that every time
we lie, every time we slander or libel another human being, we are
chalking up karmic debt for ourselves. Like a flock of free-range
chickens, they will come home to roost when the day is done.
Today, remember the
golden rule and be kind to one another.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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