The mistake of believing that bad education is something unimportant in a politician

In the last few hours, I've read several comments on social media that have encouraged me to write this article about the political profession.

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These comments convey the idea that a politician's bad behavior isn't important as long as they govern correctly. Obviously, there's a tendency everywhere to excuse all kinds of politicians, but where does the limit lie?

Eleven years ago, I wrote an article on fair play in politics in which I expressed the need for democratic regeneration in Spain, but pointed out that legislative measures alone are not enough. I said something back then that I still believe: if we don't see politicians as good people, we can't expect them to work for the benefit of the nation. Obviously, swearing doesn't make anyone a bad person, but the way a politician relates to others tells us a lot about them.

A few weeks ago, recalling that article, I said here that to regenerate politics, politicians must set an example with their conduct, both inside and outside of institutions. It's not enough for these politicians to have good ideas: they must act with honor, with a spirit of service, and with respect for the citizens they serve. And that respect begins with good manners.

To understand what good manners are, it's enough to review some words by the Spanish philosopher and jurist Antonio Escohotado (1941-2021) that I've quoted before on this blog:

A country isn't rich because it has diamonds or oil. A country is rich because it has education. Education means that, even if you can steal, you don't steal. Education means that you're walking down the street, the sidewalk is narrow, and you get off and say: 'excuse me'. Education is that, even if you go to pay the bill at a store or a restaurant, you say 'thank you' when they bring it to you, you tip, and when they give you back the last of what they give you, you say thank you again. When a people have that, when a people have education, a people is rich.

These words from Escohotado capture something my parents have insisted on throughout my life: the duty to treat others as I would like to be treated. In the public sphere, this duty implies a responsibility to all of society. As I've said a few times, I'm just a blogger, but on this blog I make it a rule not to publish profanity or insults, even though sometimes my heart urges me to. I do this for two reasons: the first is because there's already enough filth on the internet without adding any more, but the second is the most important: I have a responsibility to my readers, especially the younger ones, and I wouldn't want anyone to take this blog as a bad example.

I think what we should expect from a simple blog should also be expected from a politician, with one very important difference: Politicians who hold elected office have much more public relevance than a blog, especially those who hold government positions. Therefore, they have a duty to set an example out of respect for citizens, especially the youngest. A politician who behaves rudely, insulting and threatening others and treating them humiliatingly, may have the best ideas in the world, but his behavior is dirtying them.

Of course, this applies to politicians of any ideology, but I think we should demand it more from those politicians with whom we have an ideological closeness, because politicians are more than enough to demand things from their rivals. A society that has an educational crisis, as is the case with ours, cannot regenerate itself if politicians set a bad example, if they exhibit harmful habits, transmitting to young people that this is the right thing to do.

Obviously, good manners do not prevent one from being firm and even passionate in defending one's ideas. I consider myself a vehement person when defending mine (sometimes going too far, which I often regret). I would go further: Good manners do not mean lukewarmness in the defense of ideas, and in fact, when we speak of noble ideas that sustain belief in goodness, truth, and justice, Good manners are the best way to be consistent with those ideas, and they are also a method for limiting fanaticism.

Ultimately, Education is the process by which we learn to master our impulses, directing them toward good and establishing the necessary conditions for living in society. Considering good manners irrelevant in politics is a mistake, and in fact, it is one of the mistakes that has led us to the sad situation we have in some Western countries.

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Image: Grok.