It is truly amazing what people will get outraged about these days, isn’t it? Take Florida’s new law designed to promote fatherhood. After Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law earlier this week, progressive types lashed out at him and former NFL coach Tony Dungy, who stood with DeSantis when he signed the bill into law. That’s right, folks. People are mad at the idea of more fathers in the home.
MSNBC contributor Dr. Jason Johnson posted a tweet admitting that the policy is “good” in theory, but that he can’t support it because it was signed by a Republican governor. He wrote:
“This is good policy in theory – But I don’t trust DeSantis to implement it and I’m certain that 70 million could go to dozens of other areas beyond the slush funds it’ll likely end up in. As for Tony Dungy supporting the policy ? Why is anyone surprised”
This is good policy in theory – But I don't trust DeSantis to implement it and I'm certain that 70 million could go to dozens of other areas beyond the slush funds it'll likely end up in. As for Tony Dungy supporting the policy ? Why is anyone surprised 👀 https://t.co/fAj9BluTyE
— Dr. Jason Johnson (@DrJasonJohnson) April 11, 2022
Political analyst Ameshia Cross chimed in, castigating Dungy for pointing out the high rate of fatherlessness in the black community. “All of this is so wrong ESPECIALLY that 95% stat. Tony Dungy aligning with white supremacists, speaking narratives that they’ve used for decades to diminish Black families is just disgusting,” she tweeted.
All of this is so wrong ESPECIALLY that 95% stat. Tony Dungy aligning with white supremacists, speaking narratives that they've used for decades to diminish Black families is just disgusting. https://t.co/emak16GrrY
— Ameshia Cross (@AmeshiaCross) April 11, 2022
Journalist Exavier Pope criticized Dungy for being a black man who partnered with DeSantis to implement the legislation. He tweeted:
Tony Dungy probably means well and does plenty of good in the world.
However his racist apologist, respectability politics, and The Black friend showmanship is an unnecessary dance move he doesn’t need to “tap” into to do that work
Tony Dungy probably means well and does plenty of good in the world.
However his racist apologist, respectability politics, and The Black friend showmanship is an unnecessary dance move he doesn’t need to “tap” into to do that work
— 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 (@exavierpope) April 11, 2022
Dungy, for his part, defended his support of the measure, pointing out that former President Barack Obama discussed the fatherlessness issue 14 years ago. The coach tweeted a video of Obama’s comments on the matter and wrote:
2 days ago I spoke on behalf of a Florida bill that supports dads & families and it offended some people. 14 yrs ago Pres Obama said the same things almost verbatim. I’m assuming people were outraged at him too. I am serving the Lord so I’ll keep supporting dads and families.
2 days ago I spoke on behalf of a Florida bill that supports dads & families and it offended some people. 14 yrs ago Pres Obama said the same things almost verbatim. I’m assuming people were outraged at him too. I am serving the Lord so I’ll keep supporting dads and families.🙏🏽🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/7eIemEGe9T
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) April 13, 2022
Dungy expressed support for the bill on Monday, saying it would be “tremendous” and “such a good help to fathers in Florida.”
Along with being a broadcaster for NBC sports, the former coach is also the founder of a nonprofit called All Pro Dad, which also promotes fatherhood.
This behavior is rather odd, isn’t it? Regardless of political affiliation, the vast majority of Americans understand that having a father in the household is much better for children than growing up in a broken home. So, wouldn’t an effort to remedy this problem be a welcome development?
Not in today’s political climate.
Too many Americans have adopted the same type of mentality about politics as they do sports. This team sports mindset has created an environment in which no action, word, or policy can be celebrated if it comes from people on the other side of the political divide. In fact, it is more desirable to find – or concoct – reasons to heap scorn on the deed even if it is designed to address something one knows to be a serious problem.
If DeSantis had a “D” next to his name and extolled the virtues of progressivism, the people who are currently taking him to task would be greeting him with palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” They would call him brave for daring to take on the issue of fatherhood. Dungy would be given a purple robe, hoisted up on a platform, and showered with rose petals.
But to be fair, this behavior is not only present on the left. Conservatives are also guilty of treating politics as a team sport, in which they are unwilling to give credit where it is due.
This element has always been a part of politics. But over the past decade, it has become even more pronounced and has shown no signs of abating. This is particularly troubling given that civil political discourse is becoming more of a rarity in 2022. The team sports mindset combined with the increasingly vitriolic nature of national discussions could quickly escalate into a situation in which more people find it preferable to hurl more than words at one another.
Many have predicted a second civil war in America, and while there is reason to doubt this possibility, it is not hard to imagine that the current state of political discourse could easily lead to violence. Unfortunately, it does not appear that those with the influence to calm things down are interested in doing so.
