By any honest measure, humanity is defined by compassion, empathy, kindness, moral responsibility, and respect for the inherent dignity of others. It is our capacity to see one another fully, to choose care over cruelty, and to recognize that every life has value—even when doing so is inconvenient or uncomfortable. At its core, humanity affirms a simple truth: no one is less than human. Ever.
It is against this shared moral understanding that the conduct of the President of the United States must be judged. When a sitting president depicts former President Barack Obama and his accomplished wife, Michelle Obama, in ways that strip them of their humanity, it is not merely offensive or inappropriate. It is morally reprehensible.
Morality is not a partisan accessory. It is not a passing Democratic fad or a Republican talking point. It is the very essence that distinguishes a civilized society from barbarism, and human beings from animals. When leaders abandon that foundation, the damage is not confined to rhetoric—it seeps into the soul of the nation.
The president’s repeated use of dehumanizing language corrodes our civic life and legitimizes cruelty. History teaches us that dehumanization is never benign; it is the precursor to injustice, discrimination, and violence.
Once we allow others to be portrayed as less than human, it becomes easier to justify denying them dignity, rights, and protection.
This is precisely why silence is not a neutral act. Leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties have a moral obligation to speak out. Silence, deflection, or retreat into partisan loyalty in the face of wrongdoing is not prudence—it is complicity.
For more than a millennium, the United States has aspired—often imperfectly, but deliberately to live within the spirit of its founding ideals. That long and unfinished journey has included the abolition of slavery and the continuing struggle to recognize the full humanity of all people.
Progress has never been linear, but the moral arc has bent toward justice only because individuals were willing to draw lines and say, “This is not who we are.”
Immorality runs counter to that arc.
If humanity is to mean anything at all, it requires us to draw a firm line now. We do not mock, degrade, or deny the humanity of others—regardless of race, color, or creed. And we certainly do not tolerate such conduct from the highest office in the land.
The question before us is not political. It is profoundly human.
Where is our humanity?
By Senator Celina Babauta
Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMI News Service or its staff. All assertions are the sole responsibility of the writer.
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