The Way We Talk Now

You may not have heard, but there was a US presidential debate earlier this week. Kamala Harris (current vice-president) vs. Donald Trump (former president). I couldn't stomach to watch it, but of course I read news articles about it afterward, talked with a couple of people in-person the next morning who'd seen it, and of course there was the barrage of social media friends who were commenting on it. It's that last part I wanted to talk about.

First, I'm obviously not against someone's debate performance being analyzed. Heck, there are classes in public schools that are all about debate. So, that isn't the issue. What bothers me is how the performances are analyzed. Like, yeah, sure, have a poll asking folks what they thought of the debate, and who they thought did better. That's fine. It's the reactions I've been seeing primarily on social media that are concerning. It's like I'm back in school. Except, these are adults (at least in chronological age).

I witnessed a few fights at school back in the day. They happened, as unfortunate as that reality was. I can only think of one from my time in elementary, but there were probably a handful from middle school and high school. And people (aka my peers) would stand around and react with a lot of expletives and phrases such as, "Oh snap!"  or  "Guuuuurl!"  or  "They just got they ass whooped!" or "She cleaned his clock!"  or, well, you get the idea. Thing is, those were tweens and teenagers. One's level of expectation for them is perhaps a bit lower than it would be for people who have been on this earth a few decades longer, and who are, theoretically, more mature. Alas, I read some of those very same phrases being used by my fellow Gen-Xers since Tuesday night's debate, along with those who are a tad older and younger. 

One thing I saw used a lot in people's responses was, "She brought the receipts!"  That wasn't really a phrase back when I was growing up, so I couldn't immediately relate it to past overheard reactions, but it's in a similar vein. And, look, I can cut up with the best of 'em. I've not been above a few "Oh snaps!" and "Guuuurls" in my time, but not when it comes to something like a presidential debate. The stakes are too high. That's when adults need to adult. Shut the fuck up about receipts, ass whoopings, and all the rest of the catty, petty, schoolyard-type remarks. It does you no favors.

And this has nothing to do with who I support. Most people who know me, know that I will be voting for the Harris/Walz ticket in November. And yeah, I'm heartened to hear that it sounds like the vice-president did pretty well during the debate. That's all good. But, I dunno, I guess it just seems like there's a time and a place for some decorum? Then again, our national discourse has been crumbling for awhile, so maybe it shouldn't be surprising that a lot of adults cannot switch-off their teenage vernacular?

Some may argue that I'm arguing a point over what is basically the wild west that is social media, that it isn't reflective of real life, so just relax. I dunno -- maybe? But it's still a pretty pervasive, prominent dialogue for a lot of people. And it seems to shape how we view and see others, and even ourselves. It's unfortunate (and, admittedly, anecdotal), that I very rarely see any level-headed discussions online. It's usually one end of the spectrum or the other. It's either a bunch of people being dead serious about how they think we're in the end times, and that our world is "on fire," and that we're all doomed, or it's a bunch of people responding to serious events with a bunch of LOLing and talk of burns and receipts and daaaaangs.

You can be happy that your preferred candidate performed well in a debate. You can also be happy that a candidate who you dislike did not do so well. What's sad is when you revert to acting like a 15-year-old about it. This isn't RuPaul's Drag Race, or a game of Yo Momma jokes. This is about deciding who our next president will be. It is about the future of our democracy. 

Those of us of a certain age will remember one of the 1992 presidential debates. The big deal that night was how incumbent President George H.W. Bush looked at his wristwatch at one point, seeming to be bored with the proceedings. He didn't go on a rant about illegal immigrants eating dogs or having sex change operations. God, how I pine for the days of 1992. And that's not something I ever expected to say.