“I have been obsessed lately with trying to draw distinctions between what we call the moral, the political, and the partisan”

I have been obsessed lately with trying to draw distinctions between what we call the moral, the political, and the partisan. A conflation between these three – even as they live along the same spectrum – creates the real possibility that people who vote for different candidates even as they share many core values become classified as moral opposites or enemies, and thus become irredeemable. A conflation creates the possibility that people see standing up to the inhuman gassing of civilians as a partisan political position rather than a clear moral line that must not be crossed. Our community and our country are playing with fire by collapsing these categories. But if we pay attention to this divide in how we structure our conversations, we might be able to refine the discussion by keeping to the realm of the moral and not allow for the cheaper and easier shortcut to discussing partisan politics.

Yehuda Kurtzer, Facebook post (4 April 2017) [https://www.facebook.com/yehuda.kurtzer/posts/10155240824907174]