The President's Cairo Speech

President Obama gave a speech in Cairo that transcended the usual bounds of international oratory and awoke my deepest hopes in the future of mankind. He was cheered by the Moslem audience for his bold call for rejection of terrorism and for peace. I was deeply moved by the speech, and when it was over I was still on an emotional high. Then I walked into the kitchen where Julie had Fox News on television. The speakers had seen the speech and were unmoved by the President’s eloquence. They offered scathing criticism of his efforts to call for respect, tolerance, and cooperation between America and the Moslem world. My already high emotions turned to genuine anger.

I realize that humans are complex creatures, and that the emotions of anger and hostility are more powerful than feelings of tolerance, love, kindness, decency, and peace. I assume that these negative emotions are part of man’s evolution, and are part of the instinct for survival. The deep hostility felt by American conservatives for Moslems is an automatic reaction to Moslem hostility toward America. Likewise, conservatives feel great hostility toward President Obama because he has defeated their leaders in democratic elections and has replaced their politics with a new view of the world.

Nevertheless, I was enraged by the petty and parochial remarks of the Fox News commentators. They do not want our president going over to Arabia and calling for mutual understanding. They want him to take a tough stand against terrorism and against Moslems in general. I believe that they are no better than the extremists of al Qaeda who sow hate in their every reference to America. The President was calling for a better world in which the hatred of Moslem terrorists and American conservatives would be overcome by the decency of thinking people.

I also realized that my anger was part of the problem. As much as I admired the call for peace by the President, I was seething with hate for my fellow Americans who do not agree with President Obama. I realized that the anger I felt was the same kind of anger as the anger that festers in the hearts of Moslem terrorists and American bigots. I could think and meditate all I wanted, but the rising anger was a gut reaction to the remarks of the conservatives on Fox.

I wonder if we will ever be able to get beyond these instinctive emotions. We denounce hate, bigotry, anger, terrorism, and war, but deep in our consciousness we feel a strong affinity with these emotions. I believe that we actually get pleasure out of these emotions. I know that when soldiers march off to war we feel a form of elation, not unlike a high generated by drugs. It is part of our chemical makeup. I remember my emotions when I was watching the air bombardment of Baghdad that began the first Gulf War. I was very excited and proud. I had the same feeling watching the “Shock and Awe” bombardment of Baghdad in the second Gulf War. The emotions we are most ashamed of are the same ones that somehow elevate our mood and propel us to action.

I have watched preachers like Jimmy Swaggert speak before large audiences. They will try every emotional trick in the book to arouse the followers, but the one that seems to work the best is the emotion of anger. After they have gone after the emotions of awe, sympathy, devotion, sorrow, and tears, they will sometimes go after anger against Hollywood movie-makers, people favoring pro choice on abortion, feminists, pornographers, homosexuals, liberals, and other sinners. Such appeals will usually bring the congregation to its feet with cheering and clapping.

I hope that the President’s speech will have an effect on the people who heard it throughout the Middle East as well as on listeners around the world. He understands that it will not solve all of our problems, but perhaps, because it was such a soaring, fine speech, it will touch the hearts of a few and help reduce the hate that permeates the relationship between Moslems and the West. I hope it can also reduce the anger in my heart.