There are times when a gentleman refrains from shaking hands without discrimination.
In his recent debate with Jack Conway, GOP Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul demonstrated notable philosophical discernment by choosing not to shake hands with Conway.
Quite simply, Jack Conway had attempted to paint Rand Paul as a religious nut-job. Conway released an ad that attempted to insinuate that he was into what The Venomous “Conservative” Kathleen Parker dubbed “Oogety-Boogety.”
The “Oogety-Boogety” in question pertains to some foolish actions by Rand Paul during his college years. He became a member of a secret society called the NoZe Brotherhood and engaged in a considerable amount of sacrilegious rhetoric. Examples of these incidents have been featured in Conway’s attack ads.
Growing up is a beautiful journey, and Rand Paul has certainly matured since his school days. He has started a family and is actively involved in his community, regularly attending church in Bowling Green, KY. His wife serves as a deacon, and they are members of a mainline Presbyterian denomination. This denomination has moved beyond any “Oogety-Boogety” tendencies, having embraced the principles of the Protestant Reformation that reached Scotland.
Back then, Presbyterians were famous for crazy beliefs like translating Bibles into the vernacular and teaching every member of their congregation to read so that they could properly comprehend their salvation. Perhaps, if Rand Paul were in a mood to repay Jack Conway in equitable currency, he would run ads attacking Jack Conway’s ignorant fear of a literate general population. This would be unfair, but then again, to reach Conway’s level, it would just have to be.
This further underscores why Rand Paul was justified in excluding Jack Conway from the circle of legitimate gentlemen. Negative political ads, akin to hard tackles on NFL Wide Receivers, can be harsh but within the realm of fair play. However, when these ads unfairly demean entire religions, races, or classes of people, they cross a line. If I were Conway and believed that large numbers of people disagreed with Rand Paul’s views on immigration reform or public education, I would criticize him vigorously but with a clear conscience. Conway’s ad fails to do so—it’s simply garbage. Rand Paul elevated the debate when he made the following statement.
When Eleanor of Aquitaine introduced the code of courtly behavior known as chivalry, it was aimed at improving her society. It advocated for reasonable behavioral standards in exchange for greater peace and decency. The concept suggests that a gentleman should exhibit gentleness to foster a safer, better, happier, and more predictable world.
But in order for this code to function, there had to be a sanction against transgressors.
The gentleman is constrained in how low he can descend, whereas a transgressor against chivalry faces no such limitation. Without corrective punishment for transgression, the gentleman is always at risk of being harmed or even killed.
We clearly do not want our nation to be a system where anyone who plays by the rules and upholds fair play is a sucker.
The most effective form of punishment in many social interactions, especially where physical coercion is not an option, is shunning.
Rand Paul does have run against Jack Conway. He doesn’t have to invite him over for a beer. He doesn’t have to acknowledge this man as a social or moral equal and only substantiates Jack Conway’s garbage if he does.
The only “Oogety-Boogety” going on here is cheap and unwarranted character assassination of the sort that makes rational people hate 10th grade.
Rand Paul had the chance to demonstrate how to handle venomous snakes. Being a rational Christian, he avoids them whenever possible. He was absolutely correct in refusing to shake Jack Conway’s hand after their recent debate.
