Political slander should be below us all
In upcoming US elections, voters must make decisions based on facts, not on slanderous accusations repeated so often that they sound true
In an effort to ridicule the type of change the McCain/Palin ticket is claiming to represent, Barack Obama used the old adage, "You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig." The McCain campaign immediately pounced on this statement, claiming that Obama was referring to Governor Palin as a pig with lipstick.
Now it seems clear to me that this accusation is unfounded. Like all good teachers Obama was just trying to visualize for his audience the point he was making with regard change and John McCain. But, just a week earlier a similar thing happened when high profile left-wing blogs and news outlets tried to score points by making unsubstantiated accusations against Governor Palin and her baby that seemed, even at the time, to be patently false.
There is, however, a larger point here that needs to be made that goes beyond politics. Is it fair to knowingly twist another person’s words or record in order to score points? In Judaism there is a very powerful prohibition against gossiping and gossipers—those who peddle in stories about other people.
One may argue, however, that when we are dealing with someone who is running for high office it is vital that all the true facts about that individual, no matter how damming they may be, are known. Voters are interested parties similar to employers who are permitted to illicit even negative information about potential employees. One could therefore posit that the prohibition against gossiping does not apply to candidates running for high elected office.
Nonetheless, the prohibition against slander does apply. It is simply forbidden to lie about another person or talk in a slanderous manner about their character. What happened to the idea of judging others favorably and giving them the benefit of the doubt? Does it not say in the Bible (Leviticus, 19:15), "Judge your fellow person righteously." Does that not apply to politics as well?
Massive consequences for entire world
It is important to realize that our negative actions reflect on who we are as individuals. Arrogance might hurt others but it reflects even more badly on our own character. The same applies to other negative traits such as greed, anger and hatred. And slander is no different.This election will have massive consequences not only for the United States but for the entire world as well. It is vitally important that the decisions voters here make are based on facts and not on slanderous accusations that have been repeated so often that they sound true.
In the final analysis, whether it is about faking a pregnancy or the intent of words, the average person has no interest in hearing fabricated and demonstrably untrue stories about others. Slander helps no one and, as we have seen, when the truth ultimately comes to light the perpetrator of the falsehoods ends up being damaged the most. Ultimately, acting with integrity and high moral standards is always a win-win strategy. This is a lesson, not just for the politicians, but one that we must all take to heart.
Rabbi Levi Brackman is executive director of Judaism in the Foothills, and is the author of "Jewish Wisdom for Business Success"
