The approaching midterms are giving rise to relentless political ads and even more demonizing online rants.
But contempt for those on the other side of a race or issue is not our only choice this fall. In fact, the recently departed Dolly Parton provided us all an object lesson in how to gracefully navigate difference.
She had her own beliefs, but she consistently recognized that people (including us) are more than just flat caricatures whose identity fits neatly into narrow political silos. And she certainly didn’t revel in the bloodsport of demonization.
“Everybody knows I don’t do politics because my mother was a Democrat, my daddy was a Republican, so I’m a hypocrat.” Parton once shared. “I’ve got as many Republican fans as Democrats, and I don’t want to make any of them mad at me, so I don’t play politics.”
As Parton implied, the reality is far more interesting: “The other” is a three-dimensional person with a multilayered identity that’s more nuanced and complicated than we wish to believe. By realizing this, we can become the better citizens that our free, pluralistic society requires.
Last month, while guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live, country music star Jelly Roll reflected on how real-life people are more complex than stereotypes.
“It is funny that before this week,” he said referencing his stint on the show, “everybody thought I was MAGA and now they think I’m some sort of liberal snowflake … Sure, I lean left on some things, but like most folks, I’m pretty down the middle. I am a Christian. I am a country music singer. I’m a farmer. I’m a bow hunter.”
His words remind us that identity isn’t monolithic. It’s a chameleon changing color based on the situation.
Oversimplifying things risks our relationships with others. It blunts our ability to discern a person’s true feelings on an issue and makes it easier to create boogeymen.
There’s a recurring Saturday Night Live skit that shows how easy it is to turn a person into a caricature. In it, comedian Andy Samberg delivers an unhinged impression of actor Nicolas Cage. On one occasion, the faux-Cage takes on the actual Cage as “an exaggerated screaming psychopath who really just doesn’t exist.”
Too many of us conjure Samberg-like impressions when imagining people of opposing tribes.
Consider how these warped perceptions can corrupt a person’s moral compass – or society as a whole. In a recent column for The Dispatch, Jonah Goldberg discussed what he called “one-ideaism.” Essentially, a person becomes so devoted to a single idea that it becomes their sole guiding principle in life and relationships.
Anyone who supports that idea is good, and anyone who opposes it is evil (regardless of how despicable or virtuous their actual character might be). That approach leads to brain rot and the moral decay of civilization, he argued.
To borrow Goldberg’s premise, “one-identity-ism” similarly creates good citizenship rot. We can’t be good citizens if we reduce everyone to an identity that (to quote Cage) “just doesn’t exist.”
There’s good news, though: People can develop antibodies against “one-identity-ism” through relatively simple actions and behaviors. Dolly Parton modeled a way. She was as much an icon for civic virtue – the practice of being a good citizen – as she was for entertainment.
Earlier this year, a University of Massachusetts YouGov survey found that Parton was the most beloved person in the world among Americans, with an overwhelming 65% net favorability rating.
We suspect that’s because she lived her life with decency and, compassion, and defied categorization. Parton came from humble beginnings, growing up in a one-room cabin in rural Tennessee.
But she traded in her homemade clothes for the glamor of big hair and rhinestones to become a world-renowned entertainer. Her childhood experiences, though, fueled her creativity and devotion to loving neighbors of all stripes, regardless of their political, social, or religious views. Even as she achieved artistic and commercial success, fame never dulled her sense of humility. She was committed to the betterment of society by championing children’s literacy across the globe, investing in health innovations, disaster relief, and supporting poor communities like where she grew up.
“I just give from my heart. I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m gonna do it. I just see a need and if I can fill it, then I will,” Parton said when receiving the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.
The George W. Bush Institute’s toolkit, We the People: Pluralism in Real Life, offers various habits for living across differences that mirror Parton’s approach to life.
The section “Question your own assumptions” challenges us to break free from echo chambers. Failing to do so might radicalize our views and leave us little room to dissent within our own tribes. At the very least, taking an honest personal inventory helps us identify areas for growth and provide a dose of humility.
The toolkit also advises to “Make pluralism a duty of citizenship.” This is a reminder that we have a duty to act together while thinking differently. Freedom is great, but it naturally leads to conflicting and opposing views. Maintaining our free society means doing things together – even if that’s just disagreeing well.
We can all learn from the Dolly Parton handbook of life (or our pluralism toolkit). Demonstrate grace and charity by never assuming someone’s worst intentions. Help people in need even if they don’t vote the same way. Recognize that the complexity within yourself likely mimics that in others – and revel in the contradictions. That’s how pluralism works in real life and makes us better citizens – better Americans.
