Don’t forget it’s a game!

by gertekoo

From The Globe and Mail’s Michael Ignatieff’s timely warning on the politics of fascism, a comment on enemies versus adversaries:

In his speech, Mr. Ignatieff bore down on the high price paid when politicians treat each other as enemies rather than adversaries.

When you think of your opponent across the aisle as an adversary, “you reject arguments, not persons; question premises, not identities; interrogate interests, not loyalties,” Mr. Ignatieff said.

But when politicians look upon each other as enemies, “legislatures replace relevance with pure partisanship. Party discipline rules supreme, fraternization is frowned upon, negotiation and compromise are rarely practised, and debate within the chamber becomes as venomously personal as it is politically meaningless.”

A reminder of how very relevant Johan Huizinga‘s Homo ludens and In the shadow of tomorrow still are.