Is Diplomacy Lost Forever or Merely Misplaced?

Seems like most days there is another sound bite by the man at the top of the pole insulting someone else, and I wonder to myself, "Is he setting the standard or is he simply reflecting the standard that has been set?" Kind of like movies.  How do they reflect culture versus how do they shape culture. Maybe the answer is both with the President* and with the movies.

Several years ago I worked with a gentleman in our youth ministry.  He was a tad older than my wife and me, deeply loved and respected by the kids, and we came to love him as well.  He moved on as did we.  When we finally met up six or eight years later, we were talking one day about how we were the same and how we were different.  His description of me was that I was pretty much the same, just a little smoother.  That certainly is not a term that I'd use to describe myself, but I asked and he told me the truth as he saw it.  It was hard to argue with.

I have always valued diplomacy.  Nowhere in my repertoire is a belief that anyone cares precisely what I think each and every time that any issue is on the table.  So, brutal honesty or truthfulness, though sometimes useful is not all of the time useful. Looking for commonalities, seeing things from a variety of viewpoints, and above all, respecting all others and their opinions were up the list of values.

In this day and age, whether in social media or in the media, we see insults of all sorts.  Some insults come via people you and I would respect.  Some come from people we do not respect. That distance that is created when we are talking to someone in cyberspace allows for more cruelty I suppose.

One person epitomizes these issues in my opinion far more than anyone else.  One who is called upon to lead with diplomacy is known for shooting from the hip.  He has become the chiefest of insulters.  Yes, I realize that I am insulting as I write.  Perhaps I, too, should be more careful.

Today I am most offended that he would call a Black woman a "dog." We know that is insulting, racist, and sexist. Even his spokeswoman tried to explain it away.

This afternoon I attempted to wade through an article in The New York Times that lists insults that the President* has made toward individuals or entities.  The list is "The 487 People, Places and  Things Donald Trump has Insulted on Twitter: A Complete List." I only made it through persons in the C's alphabetically.  You can hit the link for either chronological or alphabetical.

Here is the list I compiled:

"animal, fakers, biased, crazy, a waste, worst, incompetent, mediocre, ungrateful fool, sloppy, dumb, lost soul, sad, irrelevant, nut job, basket case, wacky, no talent, low-life, dopey, crazy, weak, not very bright, little, disaster, a joke, liar, leaker, clown, dummy, dumbest, dope, hell hole, dumb as a rock, low I. Q., very dumb, not very bright, neurotic, a mess, failed presidential candidate, weak, weakest, not a leader, pathetic, sad sack, low-energy stiff, embarrassment, pathetic, phony, too soft, miserable, arrogant, disaster, weak, no talent, sloppy, a total loser, grubby, third rate, lying machine, Wild Bill, hypocrite, terrible, failed badly, the real predators, crooked, Crooked Hilary, crooked H., corrupt, owned, lyin’, fear-mongering, brainwashed, dangerous, weak, corrupt, reckless and dangerous, enabler, totally flawed, ineffective, lightweight, flunky, dopey, disaster, Frankenstein, a Flake, unelectable, weak, ineffective, sneaky, disgrace, dog, low life, sleazy, wacky, crazy, neurotic dope, irrelevant, Punchy, low IQ individual, disgrace, inept, dishonest, flunkie, boring, biased, zero talent, unelectable, deceptive, dishonest, reckless, puppet, nervous wreck, cheater, Lyin’, weak, dishonest politician, desperate, hater, third rate, forgotten, lightweight, incompetent, stupid, slimeball, disgruntled, slippery, the worst." 

I feel a tad slimy, just cutting and pasting them onto the page. 

Why do I put them here?  Maybe from my own sense of curiosity.  Perhaps a tad of voyeurism. Perhaps an "I told you he was not a good person." Or maybe any number of other agendas you and I could co-create.

Ultimately, I want my children and grandchildren to have someone they admire, someone they hold to a higher standard, someone who sets the bar high, who encourages them to achieve and to strive toward goodness and kindness. I, too, want a leader that I can admire, one who leads with dignity, grace, justice, and integrity. And then, down the road a piece, I dream that my kids and grandkids will be the kind of person that others can admire, respect, and follow. 

That would be a grandfather's dream come true. 

Your thoughts about this list?