The Exposition

American politics today is growing increasingly partisan. Within it compromise is equated to weakness, the line between pundit and candidate has become hazy, and the use of violent rhetoric is the top political strategy. The attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on January 8th has brought the violent nature of politics into sharp public scrutiny. And while there is no evidence to show the gunman had been motivated by any of the violent rhetoric it should not get a free pass. 
It is time for us to examine our political culture, is this what we want it to be like? This event has forced the culture to a turning point. Will it fall further into the destructive cycle of bigotry or will America rally itself back to sanity? And if it does where do we go from here? 

Three important definitions:

Agon: A verbal contest between two characters in a Greek drama both of whom appeal to the audience, neither having any necessary claim to the truth.

Agonism: A political theory which emphasizes the potentially positive aspects of certain forms of political conflict.

Agonist: One who ascribes to the political theory of agonism.

I believe a move away from antagonism and towards agonism is a necessary action.

Agonistic discussions allow for and encourage conflict that leads to a better understanding of the issue. They realign arguments to focus on the issue rather than the arguments being a contest of who can drop the most incendiary words the fastest. 

Agonism is not a new idea:

Fast-backward to a pre-revolution America. It's 1739 and Methodist minister George Whitefield has been barred from preaching in churches in Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin gathers funders and builds a lecture hall "expressly for the Use of any Preacher of any religious Persuasion." This open arena created a space where differing views could be spoken. A space that invited and entertained conflict. Only in these open arenas can one become truly knowledgable. A democracy fails without a civic public. A civic public cannot exist without knowledge. 

Agonism is not dead, just rare:


The state of Minnesota recently elected Governor Mark Dayton (D). He won with 43.6% of the votes, only 8077 votes more than Tom Emmer, the republican candidate. Minnesotans also elected a republican house and senate. The stage had been set for an atypical war of the words congressional session.
But then I read this article. Here is a summary of the section I was most interested in.
Dayton signed an executive order to opt Minnesota into the newly expanded federal Medicaid program on Wednesday. Crowding the governors office along with the media and supporters were a sizable number of people opposed to the signing. Instead of having the critics removed by security Dayton let them stay and offered them time with the microphone to voice their concerns. 


While the article does not name this act agonistic it most certainly is. Dayton provided a space for all concerned to voice their opinions.  To me this seems like an occurrence that shouldn’t be remarkable enough to remark on. Unfortunately it seems to be such. The writer even calling it "unprecedented" and shocking.

Today we find the pulpits of civil debate controlled again by the preachers of hyperbole and fear. 
This blog is a modern day incarnation of the open lecture hall in Philadelphia. I will be posting news stories that I find interesting or that people send to me. Commenting on them, inviting you to comment on them. Then having a nice thoughtful constructive discussion.

All are free to read. All are free to think. All are free to comment.

The goal of this blog is to help you and I become elegant agonists. To help us find within ourselves the lost art of agonism and begin to practice it. From there then we may spread it to our companions. In the end we can hope to break at least ourselves free of the stupefying status quo.


Feel encouraged to leave your thoughts. This is my first post, any tips, hints, constructive criticism is appreciated.


     "The Bee gathers honey from all sorts of Flowers to encrease the common Stock, and our Assembly is the common Hive into which every Man's Thoughts and Sentiments ought to be carried."