If you don't have anything sane to say, don't say anything at all

I know I’m a pretty emotional guy — that not all men get as excited or as frustrated or as teary-eyed as I do. And I’m OK with that. I am who I am, right?

For years, I’ve lived under the assumption that my sensitivity was a strength, that passionately engaging with the world could never backfire.

I was convinced that we needed more people who would stand up, speak out and fight for what they believed. With passion. With conviction. With purpose.

But then I saw Phil Davison’s speech to the Executive Committee of the Republican Party in Stark County, Ohio. And everything changed.  

Last month, Davison addressed this committee in order to express his desire to be nominated as the party’s candidate for county treasurer.

While many such speeches never make it out of the meeting room, a camera was rolling as Davison took to the podium.

It seems like someone had an idea about what was about to go down. Davison proceeded to shout his poorly written campaign speech, pacing across the stage and screaming, “Politics is not touch football. Politics is winner-takes-all. It always has been, and it always will be.”

Frantically and feverishly stringing together line after line, Davison’s tirade lasted six awful minutes. And when the dust settled, this fiery-eyed man, who claims to hold a master’s degree in communication, effectively conveyed his lack of emotional stability to attendees.

I can’t deny that watching Davison spiral to the depths of insanity was hilariously captivating. Indeed, since his speech was first posted on YouTube, it has received more than 1.7 million views.

But I won’t argue that Davison should get a grip and take local politics a little less seriously. On the contrary, he understands what many don’t — that individuals with a desire for political change should not overlook the humble local-level offices where many important decisions are made.

What’s most troubling about Davison’s outburst is that he doesn’t see any problem with it.

“I’m raw and I’m real and I’m rugged. And that’s who I am, take it or leave it,” Davison said, defending himself in an interview aired on the Fox News Channel.

I choose to leave it. Because passion without discretion is destructive.

While we certainly have the right to say what we feel, to get angry, to stick it to the man, we aren’t entitled to behave recklessly and then excuse our actions by calling them “real.”

In our culture, it’s easy to forget that “I am who I am,” was first spoken by the God of the Bible — not some 20-year-old on MTV. The phrase was initially used to express a depth of character, not a lack of it.

Being “real” and “raw” has come to be code for being childish and uncontrolled.

But remember, spitting out the first thing that comes to mind isn’t necessarily a sign of authenticity. Usually, it’s a declaration of stupidity.


E-mail: tycherne@indiana.edu