Go outside and touch grass
In an age where many people are "snowflakes," we should remember that speaking the truth is not a bad or uncivil thing.
Here's a good bit of advice for all politicians on both sides: The Internet is not reality. What played well on Democratic Underground or Free Republic in 2003 - or what plays well with your side's loudest voices on social media in 2024 - is often too extreme or tone deaf when it escapes into the public eye. This is a phenomenon called being "too online."
JD Vance made a quip about "childless cat ladies" in an interview with Tucker Carlson in 2021. Vance was in a heated Republican primary election, which he won with 32% of the vote. The quip may have generated approval with Carlson's audience and loyal fans, but here is the problem with being too online: You may get approving comments and likes on the internet, but when you debut a sharp quip on a national stage you get a backlash you were not (but should have been) expecting. People can avoid unforced errors like this by going outside to touch grass.
Now, before I go further: There are people who, through no fault of their own, cannot have children. Vance never included those people in his remarks, and everyone knows it. Pretending that Vance was somehow insulting people who struggle with infertility - which can be a very painful thing - is profoundly dishonest and people who make this claim cannot be taken seriously in their fraudulent "outrage."
Vance actually does have a point: Having children is an investment in the future of the nation. There are many very good arguments for having children, as well as the Bible's creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply. We are facing down a demographic time bomb that is getting worse every year as more people opt out of having children. This seems to be something our cultural elites want to advocate, but evangelizing for DINK is cringe. That is why we need a more thoughtful discussion of the issue than snarky remarks about "childless cat ladies."
This is why leaders should not intentionally be insulting and demeaning for its own sake. Our leaders should hold a basic standard of professionalism. Needless personal insults should be off the table, and we should remember the command to love our enemies. We need a lot fewer trolls and a lot more statesmen. Remember, Proverbs 15:1 tells us that a soft answer turns away wrath.
However, we must not over correct. The fact that people are angry or "offended" does not mean that what was said was wrong. In an age where many people are "snowflakes," we should remember that speaking the truth is not a bad or uncivil thing. Abortion actually is murder, even if saying so hurts someone's feelings. We should be careful to not allow the "tone police" to silence our efforts to bring God's Truth into the public square. The Lord Jesus Christ was extremely harsh when He needed to be, and gentle when He needed to be.
The question is not whether we should use harsh rhetoric or a more dispassionate explanation of policy and culture. The question is not whether we should point out a societal trend is harmful or even wicked, or only offer a better way. This is not an either/or question. The proper answer is both. Knowing when to say something gently and when to be harsh is always hard work, and we will fail in both directions. That does not mean we should not try, and pray for wisdom when we speak.