The State of … Respect
As soon as I was old enough to understand what the State of the Union was, I watched in awe as the President of the United States spoke to Congress and, through television, the American people. I didn’t necessarily understand, at that young age, what the specifics were that the President was saying, but I was awed by the grandeur of it all.
Sadly as I’ve grown older, my childhood illusion, like so many others, has been shattered by the reality of what the State of the Union has become.
There is little, if anything, that is Grand about it. It has become a show, a play, in which all the actors in the room have a part. For the past several Presidents who have given their State of the Union speeches, I have watched as the ‘actors’ in the audience play their parts.
I was raised to believe that the Office of the President of the United States was something to be respected whether or not you agreed with the person who held it. Growing up, I’ve watched each year as every President begins talking and those on the other side of the isle clap with disdain and outwardly disrespect the highest office in the land. Democrats do it to Republican Presidents and Republicans do it to Democrat Presidents.
Everyone is in on it. They’re all actors playing a part in the show for the cameras.
Everyone in Washington has read the speech well before the President walks in the room. One could argue that even those in attendance in the audience are given little respect since they already know what’s going to be said and in many ways must sit through the performance and wait to be prompted to play their choreographed roles.
The media has already polled people and have their sound bites ready to go the minute the speech is over. Cameras zoom in on reactions, or non-reactions of those in the audience, or to make sure there is enough focus on who’s wearing what dress or which shoes. There is no respect. It’s all about the ratings.
Perhaps most of all, it’s we the people who are shown the greatest disrespect. Days before the speech, every President leaks portions of their speech and the fighting begins. The media dissects each nuance of every word so that by the time the State of the Union is televised even we all have a pretty good idea of what the President will say and have already heard the arguments from both sides about why whatever point will or will not work.
And just in case we haven’t, immediately following the speech we are barraged with another choreographed play and a lineup of opinions and after-speeches, of how many ovations or yawns, of dignitaries and snubs in attendance, and of course the strong condemnations or rousing support for each point in the speech.
I was raised to respect my elders. To respect those who held public office as they were the “servants of the people”. No one told me it was all a show.
Maybe it’s time to change the show.
Yes, the constitution demands that the President should address a Joint Session of Congress, but I’m not sure the intent was to put on a play.
Maybe the State of the Union should be from the Oval Office. No cheering or jeering crowds, no special guests, no close up cameras on who’s wearing what.
Maybe the State of the Union should just be the President, talking to American’s… all American’s including those in Congress… about how they see the country and what they want to do next.
No advance leaks of the speech.
Everyone gets to see and hear it live. Just let us all hear what the President has to say, authentically.
Maybe it’s time to respect the people and stop putting on a show that no one believes and we’ve all seen before. As if somehow putting on this poorly acted, produced, and directed show will miraculously cause all of us to give more respect to the actors.
After all, I learned something else growing up as well. “Respect is earned, not given”.
Christy Belz, MSW is the author of “Oh God of Second Chances, Here I am again.“
Christy is an empowerment coach and entrepreneur who is passionate about guiding people to live their best, most authentic selves personally, professionally and developmentally.
Named one of Colorado’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2020, she is also a TEDx Speaker and a co-curator of TEDxCherryCreek, through which she encourages women to share their voice. Founder of the transformational UPROOT course, she can often be found reading the latest book in the personal growth and leadership genres or walking her dog in nature while keeping an eye out for heart-shaped leaves.
Christy lives in Denver with her husband and son.
Life Happens. We make mistakes or maybe aren’t our best selves. Sometimes the universe slams us with cosmic two-by-fours as a wake-up call to what we are (or aren’t) doing. The question is not whether you will be knocked down by life. The question is how do you get back up again?
Oh God of Second Chances, Here I Am Again is a book about what it takes to get back up again.
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Christy, a seasoned social worker, draws on literary inspiration, research, and the wisdom of mystics, as well as women TEDx speakers who know a thing or two about falling down and getting back up again. Filled with exercises to help foster personal growth and the lessons she has learned from a lifetime of helping others get back up again and again; what emerges is a community you didn’t realize you needed to face this messy thing called life.
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“A masterclass in courage, if you’ve ever wondered how to live well, this is the book you’ve been waiting for. With heartfelt wisdom and an infectious, humble sense of humor, Christy Belz made me feel like I was sitting down with my best friend to take honest, yet gentle, stock of my life.”
– Laura Thomas, author of The Magic of Well-Being
