Fox News anchor Chris Wallace announced his six topics for the first presidential debate. They are the following; the Trump and Biden records; the Supreme Court; COVID-19; the Economy; Race and Violence in our cities (whatever that means); and the Integrity of the Election. Do you notice something missing?
What is missing is the very topic we are talking about: Community and especially humanity’s relation to the more-than-human community. Nothing about climate change or eco-justice. Sacred creation is being desecrated and Howard Thurman, as we have seen in our recent DM’s, alerted us to all this decades ago.
Where have journalists been hiding all these decades? What world are they living in? What “values” are they teaching in universities and journalism schools? This is why Einstein says he “abhors American education”–because it lacks any sense of values.
Image: National Park Rescue
In this list of “presidential topics” there is nothing about the cause of COVID-19; the cause of the unprecedented wildfires scorching the West and hurling poisoned air all the way to the East Coast; the unprecedented hurricanes ravishing the Gulf Coast—and its cause; and, of course, nothing about the extinction of so many other animals and its cause—scientists concluded this week that the reason 350 elephants died in Botswana, Africa is due to….Climate Change. Climate change has produced an algae in ponds in Africa that is lethal to elephants.
It appears that Wallace is drinking the same kool-aid as his employer, Mr. Murdoch, and the entire Republican party—that climate change is not worth a discussion or debate. No wonder politicians remain in complete denial, withdraw from international treaties to try to save the planet as we know it, gut environmental protections, remain silent about alternative, cleaner energy.
In 2016 the same thing happened—not one journalist asked about climate change in the presidential debates. Have journalists learned nothing in the last four years? What an indictment this is of the American media as well as the American political scene; and American educational institutions.
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America is getting stupider and stupider as it bends over backwards to serve the interest of the billionaire class to continue raping the earth and extracting all it can while giving nothing back but waste and denigration. If the earth is sacred—what creation centered spiritual traditions the world over teach—then to ignore its demise is to be committing desecration.
Yes, Mr. Wallace and Co. are contributing boldly to the desecration of the earth. Sins of omission, Aquinas teaches, are always sins of injustice.
Not to discuss climate change is to abandon all one’s children and grandchildren and to submit them to a diminished life experience. So much for healthy eldership.
Maybe Mr. Wallace and company should start reading Thurman, Hildegard, Aquinas, Eckhart, Julian and other lovers of the earth to fill in the many blanks in a perverse, anthropocentric, world view.
It is clear that our theme of “Community” is utterly needed today.
See Matthew Fox, The A.W.E. Project: Reinventing Education, Reinventing the Human, pp. 130-135; 104-108.
See also Matthew Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice.
Banner Image: “We Me” – Image created by environmental artist and public speaker Alana Lea for COP23 in Germany. It was signed by research scientists for Project Drawdown as well as members of the audience in Germany, and continues to be signed in the USA. (C) Alana Lea, 2017, used with permission. For the full image click HERE.
Does this news, that no question is being posed to the two presidential candidates next week, bother you also? Does it awaken moral outrage in you? Where do we go with our outrage, how do we invest it so that it bears good fruit?
The A.W.E. Project: Reinventing Education, Reinventing the Human
The A.W.E. Project reminds us that awe is the appropriate response to the unfathomable wonder that is creation… A.W.E. is also the acronym for Fox’s proposed style of learning – an approach to balance the three R’s. This approach to learning, eldering, and mentoring is intelligent enough to honor the teachings of the Ancestors, to nurture Wisdom in addition to imparting knowledge, and to Educate through Fox’s 10 C’s. The 10 C’s are the core of the A.W.E. philosophy and process of education, and include: compassion, contemplation, and creativity. The A.W.E. Project does for the vast subject of “learning” what Fox’s Reinvention of Work did for vocation and Original Blessing did for theology. Included in the book is a dvd of the 10 C’s put to 10 video raps created and performed by Professor Pitt.
“An awe-based vision of educational renewal.” — Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice.
13 thoughts on “Astounding and Appalling Omission in Presidential Debate Topics!”
I totally agree – you bought this up at the recent OSE meeting earlier this week.
I find it scandoulous, outrageous and will be messaging the relevent parties to voice this.
How on earth can we place our trust in any type of leader or media outlet that refuses to put climate change as THE no.1 issue of our time. Have we learnt NOTHING in the last six months?!!
So anthroprocentric, so ignorant. How the hell are our kids and their kids going to view this blatant neglection of duty . I am reminded of Greta Thunburgs comment to world leaders “How dare you!”
( seriously pissed!!!!)
Mort, I think many of us who think along the lines of Matthew Fox when it comes to climate change are just as frustrated as you are. But I believe that we can stand together with one voice, and continue to proclaim our the message concerning climate change…
yes 100%
While I mourn with you over the lack of wisdom in this country concerning climate change, the Divine System is designed to guarantee that humans will face the consequences for their ignorance, without fail. The resulting suffering is the very avenue for waking up. No one escapes this reality, no matter how arrogant or seemingly indifferent. Justice will prevail. The great mystery of the womb of mercy holds us all.
Partisanship like this continues to divide us. We need to unite on issues without making enemies of the other side.
In order to unite, people have to stop denying truth and calling everything they disagree with “Fake News” or make egregious statements like the one from the Commissioner of Education (what irony) of Florida that people should never read the New York Times or the Washington Post.
Which of the six topics would you remove to put in climate change? And won’t this be addressed by another debate?
Thank you for highlighting this Dr Matthew Fox,
and also for highlighting grave problems in education in general.
I was so pleased to see the inclusion of the international stop ecocide in your post today too.
We must all stand up and raise our voices, do what we can.
Chris Wallace at Fox is a Trumper, hence the topics, the way they were phrased and the serious omissions. Hopefully, ABC, CBS, CNN, and/or NBC will get a chance to host a presidential debate.
This country and the world cannot tolerate another four years of Donald Trump. Unfortunately, there are many people in his base who will support him to the end.
I was wrong about Chris Wallace. He has been quite tough in his past interviews with Trump. Apparently he is one of the most independent journalists on Fox.
Yes, we are a world tribe. David R. Hawkins, who was a psychiatrist for fifty years, tells us that most adults are disturbed children in adult bodies and I agree. In 1995 Hawkins estimated that 85 % of the world population was not at the level of simple integrity. So much for most politicians and journalists. Out of reality infantile wish fantasies seem to be running the show and it is too bad that it is a show. As we know, Plato called professional liars sophists, that is, sophisticated liars. We have to forgive them because they really are not conscious of what they are doing. The smarter ones eventually transform. Truth always wins over falsehood in the long-run or power wins over force. When they really realize that we are an energy connected whole earth organism, so to speak, we should get closer to a more truly loving and peaceful world.
I agree and think that we should communicate to our candidates what we wish them to say about climate change. The very first question on the president’s record is a perfect opportunity to bring up the virtual destruction of the EPA and every useful regulation, and the connection to climate change. The Sierra Club has many resources and is pressing the issue. We all can join in. This is not a partisan issue, unless you are a partisan in favor of community and the health of the planet.
Sue, in addition to your suggestion that we join in the work with the Sierra Club. I would also suggest you and the others who have commented to look into the Order of the Sacred Earth which was co-founded by Matthew Fox and two other young people. You can read about this order on Matthew Fox’s website…