It has been a rough year. From the fashion community, we lost Kate Spade; from television and culinary, we lost Anthony Bourdain. And now recently with the loss of the superstar Aretha Franklin, some people were shocked to learn that just a few days later John McCain had passed away.
Before I go any further, let me say that this is completely an opinion piece so you do not have to agree with me, all I ask is that you read and try to understand my perspective as a young person and maybe try to think about him from another perspective. Now as a Millenial, many of the older generations are confused as to why this affected me the way it did. Though I never met him, didn’t always agree with his policies, and at times thought he wasn’t being as pragmatic as necessary, there was one thing that kept him at the top of my list of politicians I would like to sit down and have a conversation with. Because that is what it would be: a conversation. A civil discussion with a back and forth that even if you don’t end up on the same side at the end of the day, you can still go and get a beer at the end of the night and share a laugh.
In this piece I am not going to focus on his specific politics because that is not what I feel will be remembered about him. Now I had heard the stories from my mom and my grandparents about how John McCain was a war hero. A man who spent countless years as a POW experiencing the worst kinds of torture imaginable, and yet somehow still managed to survive and hang on to his sanity for the rest of his long life. And that is not something that just anyone can do. So whether you believe in any sort of
The Best Story I’ve Heard
In 2009, I was beginning to actually pay attention to politics and political players - mind you I was in middle school so my knowledge at the time was subpar at best - but this was right after the Obama vs. McCain election. In late August 2009, John McCain appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien to discuss politics, but also the loss of Ted Kennedy a week early on August 25, 2009. What he had to say in that interview cemented for me why I believe that no matter what your politics, he was one of the last politicians who believed in bipartisanship and having civilized discussions rather than just yelling at one another without getting anywhere. I won’t dictate the entire interview, but there is one quote I want to share with all of you.
“A few years ago, I was on the floor, [Ted Kennedy] was on the floor, there was a freshmen democrat, freshmen republican and they got into a rather personal dispute; you’d think that two more senior guys would come down and, well… he and I felt that a fight not joined was a fight not enjoyed. So we ended up face to face on the floor of the Senate yelling at each other, the press is leaning over saying ‘What the hell is going on with McCain and Kennedy?’ Words that were not transcribed I’m happy to say. And an hour later, arm around each other and enjoying each other. He was a happy warrior.”
The rest of the interview is McCain going on to warn America of the disappearance of civility in politics. He warned of what I frankly am all to aware of. The complete and utter polarization of our political system. The middle ground is all but gone and with everyone at one extreme or another, having a discussion that doesn’t devolve into unadulterated mania seems impossible. Especially if that discussion is happening with the Baby Boomers vs. Gen X and Millennials.
Final Thoughts
McCain leaves behind quite a legacy, one that is now being examined by those of all ages; not just his contemporaries and the 24 hour news media. In having discussions with my friends, we noticed that what we were desiring for the political landscape in this country is exactly what McCain and Kennedy represented but now seems to have vanished with this new Trump era of late night tweeting and attacking before debating.
Though we realize that there are times that call for that kind of behavior, people my age have no faith in Trump or his policies - let alone his ability to make decisions that are best for more than just his cabinet of oligarchs. But maybe this is a good thing. Maybe now that my generation and the one after mine are coming into our own, hearing McCain’s words and getting to make our own decisions and decide what we think is best for society, the political landscape will once again shift back to one of civility where we can discuss rather than scream until we are red in the face without listening to the other person’s side.
I’m not asking anyone who reads this to agree with me, all I ask on behalf of my generation, is give us a chance. Let us express why we feel how we feel without immediately being attacked. Because you accuse us of being attacking but we were attacked first so being on the defensive is how we were socialized. But all of us are getting weary of fighting. We want to be heard, but in a place where we are constantly undercut, you wonder why we don’t participate.
To see the whole interview with Conan, the video is entitled, "John McCain:"What's the point if we just yell at each other?""
