Belittling & Finger-Pointing

I read the following at the blog of Midlife Mutations. (My own thoughts/opinion of this and other things below)

Belittling a person or organization is often an expression of fear about their significance!

(This was sent to me in email by a friend. It was sent to him by an old college professor with a note that it was sent to him with this note: This was sent to me by a staff member in the South Indiana Conference, United Methodist Church. Thought you would appreciate the sentiment.
I do not know who to attribute it to [but] it resonates, doesn't it!

I obviously, because of age and experience and ailments, am "Old School". One of the atrributes of my reality is that I find contemporary wisdom in the wisdom and writings of my dear friends that they shared years ago. One of my friends, Dr. Tex Sample, now retired from St. Paul School of Theology wrote "Blue-Collar Ministry, Facing Economic and Social Realities of Working People" in 1984! His words from "back in the day" have relevance and resonance today. Hopefully, the superficial critiques of Senator Obama's community organization experience have died down, but in case they surface again, the wisdom and insight of Tex Sample is useful. In Blue Collar Ministry he wrote;

"Community organization is an exercise in empowerment which reognizes that most injustices are rooted in the fact that it is not in the self-interest of the powerful to change them. The powerful will not change unless confronted by power, and the way that working-class people can get such power is through organizing. The moral foundation of community organization is based on the principle that people have a right to participate in the decisions that affect them. As long as they are powerless, they will be denied this basic human right." (Page 151, paperback edition)

Is there any misunderstanding as to why Senator McCain and Governor Palin have made fun of
Senator Obama's experience as a community organizer? They know and thus are fearful that a
President with a background of community organizing, would make a positive difference in the
lives of working people. A President Obama who is serious about the struggles of working class people would expose the fact that not everybody talking about working people is serious about enabling them to be involved in decision-making that affects them. "Everybody talking about CHANGE, is not really committed to change."

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IMO, the above is true. Whether we are talking about the cause of belittling or the politics. Bullies belittle. Exes belittle. People who have been fired belittle. People caught in lies belittle. Belittling is a tactic used by people who don't have legitimate things to say and who are scrambling to get the upper hand. Jus' sayin'.

Another thing that has occurred to me. I think it was yesterday that I heard something that got me to thinking. At some event, McCain was taking questions from the audience, and some woman made a mini-speech about how the Dems need to get off the back of Palin about "blah, blah, blah." As she named off some of the issues, those that we've all heard discussed or discussed ourselves, I was thinking .... "Hmmm.The only peopleI've heard talking about those things in a while, at least on the national front, are the Republicans."

I listen to and read about as much of the issues, the "goings-on" as my gramma would say, of both sides of this political picture, as most of you know. I really try to pay attention and know about both sides, all opinions, because I don't want to get caught up in a lopsided information box canyon. I heard private individuals talking about: the pregnant daughter, the boyfriend/fiance/father-of-the-baby, hunting from airplanes, polar bears, banned books, etc. And I hear the Reps whining that no one will leave her alone. HUH?? Who is keeping it alive at the campaign level? The frickin' REPUBLICANS!!

This sounds to me as if belittling and finger pointing is the tactic of campaign of the conservative side. You may not agree, but think about it, just give it a chance to resonate and see what comes out. It [the Reps words] strikes me as if I'm listening to a group of 14 year olds talking about their parents after being told they can't have a party without adults present, and justifying it all by the presence of "the good girl who always goes to church and never does anything wrong." That kid is the first one I'd be worried about.