Quote:
Originally Posted by asaris
The thing about freedom, pan, is it means we have the same right to make fun of stupid people as they have to be stupid. No one is saying that the 'no taxation without representation' guy didn't have the right to speak. We're just saying he's ignorant. If you're going to speak in public, we get to criticize you. You, like so many right-wingers, forget that criticism is the essence of democracy, not it's opposite.
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See, I disagree. I don't believe calling someone stupid, an idiot or ignorant for their beliefs and opinions is making your point any better. In fact it cheapens it. I was just as guilty, for a long time, but then I realized my opinion and belief is just that. I went with what the press told me to go with, what the far Left espoused I ate up and spewed out almost verbatim. But the reality is, I didn't have to think for myself then. I was the elitist because I felt that the press backed my opinion so I was automatically right. Once I sat back looked at what I was saying realized that I just spewed what the press told me to and that I wasn't truly thinking for myself..... I realized I was the stupid one.
You can criticize and argue all you want others opinions and beliefs, in fact that can be very healthy and bring about true compromise and change. But when you start calling the other side "stupid, ignorant, idiots" there is no compromise, no even trying to understand the other side. You in essence have stated your beliefs and opinions are better than theirs and that's all there is to it. Once you do that, you begin or continue to keep the partisanship hatred alive because those you called names and refused to listen to take solace in digging deeper down into their beliefs..... and then they call you names and you do the same. Hence you end up with a very divided country where nothing will get done except the extremes because only the extremes get listened to because no one wanted to meet in the middle because both sides saw the other as idiots, ignorant and stupid. See it's easier to personalize that which we disagree with as stupid, idiocy and ignorance so we don't have to debate it or listen to it and we don't have to talk out our differences.... because well.....our beliefs are so much more informed and better. Hell, we don't even have to prove ours besides saying the media says.
So continue down that path that your beliefs are so much better. And I'll continue down mine.
No you can't agree with everyone, so ya just gotta be yourself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by roachboy
thanks for that, asaris---and it is this confusion of democracy and uniformity that explains why from time to time i find myself going off about the basically anti-democratic-to-authoritarian character of right politics. and it's why i see something kinda alarming in the tea parties--a sort of default poujadisme. what makes it doubly alarming is that there's no sense anywhere that the folk who enter that political world see that. i don't doubt that as individuals, these folk are well-meaning---but the way the politics is expressed, what the Enemy of the moment is...it's alarming when you think about it.
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It's done on both sides, the self righteous "my beliefs are right because NBC/CBS/CNN/ABC/FOX/LIMBAUGH/BECK/HANNITY all agree with me.... or is it I agree with them ..... well the polls show....... the people that watch and agree with what they say agree with me..... I don't have to think for myself at least.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Derwood
right back at ya
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I even admitted I did, in numerous posts.... don't think you came across the great secret.