The Browns Win, But What Have We Lost?

The Cleveland Browns had a convincing win Sunday afternoon by the shores of Lake Erie. Our new look Browns are tied for first place in the AFC North and the outlook for the remainder of the season is quite bright. Yet there are issues that need to be addressed. Something is amiss on the streets of Cleveland and beyond.

Video of a fight among the crowd exiting the game surfaced on social media early Monday. Yes, this happens from time to time. Yes, people drink alcohol and act stupid. This seems to go beyond that. 

While getting reactions to the video, it was mentioned that people just don’t like each other anymore. While I don’t think this true across the board, I believe the concept has merit and that we may be moving further and further in this direction as a society. 

There are a few reasons why people do not like people as they used to. 

People have been more isolated by quarantines and working at home. Whether we like it or not, when we don’t practice something, we lose the ability. This goes for our social skills as much as it does for playing the piano.

Social media has made us all experts who don’t want to hear opinions from others. Keyboard warriors. It’s easy to say anything when you don’t have to face people. Therefore, it’s so important to watch who you interact with. Dump the negativity. You don’t need that or the anger in your life.

The political climate in this country has brought about an abundance of arrogance and hatred. I don’t care who you voted for. Voting is a fundamental right in this country. The system by which we elect our officials was established by our forefathers after much thought and discussion. The problem is people don’t let things go after elections anymore. The arguing and hatred create divides that just don’t go away. It has also moved people to violence which is completely unacceptable.

Even if people don’t like other people, they still don’t have a right to act out.

I believe people are really confused over what their rights are. Many people feel that they have a right to do what they want in this country. They believe freedom is a right. Guess again. Freedom is not a right. Freedom is a privilege that was granted to you by the hard work and deaths of all who came before us. Freedom is a fragile concept. It is yours if you handle it properly. If you infringe on another person’s rights, you may lose yours. 

The COVID pandemic has devolved into a debate over rights and believability. It should be about courtesy and respect. If you don’t get the shot, you aren’t breaking a law. If you are unvaccinated and insist on entering a store that requires masks without wearing one, you lack respect and common courtesy. 

Our country is almost 250 years old. There have been a lot of disagreements. We have always worked things out. What seems to be missing now is a willingness to listen to a dissenting opinion with an open mind and decorum. Why can’t we disagree without being disagreeable? The effort to find common ground just doesn’t seem to be there anymore. 

Maybe a change in perceptions has stirred up some emotions in a minority of people. 

We have seen advances in the way the LGBTQ community is recognized. The same goes for The Me Too Movement for women and the support for BLM and the George Floyd case. I am not here to represent anyone or to say that all is well within any of groups of people. Quite simply, I believe there is a positive trajectory and that may come across as a threat to some people. It may be a cause of some antisocial behavior, but I sure hope this isn’t the case.

We just saw the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Those horrendous acts led to a period in which the people of our country came together as one. It is sad that it took something so negative to bring about togetherness. While we swore we would never forget, twenty years is a long time. Many were just too young to remember. 

It isn’t about banning alcohol or forcing people to do things or making people like each other. It’s about having courtesy and decency toward each other. It’s about listening more than you talk. It’s about recognizing that everyone has thoughts and opinions and there will be frequent disagreements. It’s knowing that disagreements don’t need to have winners and losers. 

Remember that deep down we’re all on the same team.