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Writer's Block: Do (political) opposites attract?
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Honestly, no.
I have friends who are anti-choice, who voted for Bush (twice even). I know Christians, Wiccans, non-Wiccan Pagans, Buddhists, staunch Athiests, Muslims, Jews, and devout agnostics that I think are just swell people. I even have a a friend or two who still make racist comments on occasion. When you accept someone into your life, you accept the totality of that person, right or wrong.
Does this mean that I sit silently when someone is spouting something I deem to be utterly batshit? No, of course not. I always enjoy a spirited socio-political or even religious discussion. That's why we have free speech, after all. So I'm totally into chatting it up, even heatedly. I'm also not opposed to pointing out that some people gain their beliefs from dubious sources that lead me to doubt their veracity or validity. If you were raised Christian and didn't meet an openly gay person until you were 25, you can be forgiven (IMHO) for having some whacked ideas about homosexuality. If you weren't allowed to watch TV or eat junk food until college, you may actually NOT be a huge dick for implying that only ghetto dwellers drink coca-cola instead of water. If your minister told you from babyhood that dinosaurs never existed because they weren't in the Bible, you should maybe not be laughed at for thinking Jurrassic Park is every bit as blasphemous as The DaVinci Code (even if it is substancially better written). However, it may behoove you to open your mind a bit, and let some new opinions in. Besides, you learn a lot more from talking with people you disagree with than with people who sit around agreeing with each other.
But Wednes, you might say, I happen to know that you've unfriended and disinvited people to your events because of arguments about politics or social issues. This is not entirely true. You are free to think, feel, say and believe anything you want. Honest. What you can't do is be a disrespectful dick about it. You don't get to do the following things:
1. Cite "facts" that have no tangible evidence to back them up. "Insurance comapanies don't make a profit," "People on welfare live better than I do," "Most women only have abortions as a convenience," are all statements that require actual facts to back them up. Note: Opinion-based commentators are not spouting facts just because they're on TV.
2. Tell other people they they are immoral for disagreeing. Admittedly, I do think people are assholes for saying that poor people don't deserve the same medical care as rich people. That is also against the hippocratic oath. But I'm not going to tell them they're going to hell, or are going to be reincarnated as a dung beetle because we disagree. Neither should you (see above for facts v opinions)
3. Harass or badger people in an effort to "convince them" of your side. I'm all about discussions, even long ones with raised voices on occasion. But presuming that people would agree with you if you could just find the magical phrase that convinces them that you know best--you are displaying very little respect for them and their opinions. Not cool.
4. Presume that you have a monopoly on truth, political correctness, or that it's up to you alone to decide what others should be offended by.
5. Make presumptions about any group of people you do not personally keep time with. Also included: making presumption based on one person you don't actually know as if they are a microcosm of an entire group of people.
6. People who disagree may not be stupid, misguided, brainwashed, heartless, or liberal tree-huggers, unless of course they actually hug trees. ;-] So no namecalling unless someone is already being a serious prick.
There's probably more, but that's all I can think of at the mo. I'm at work, so my thinker is otherwise engaged.
Honestly, no.
I have friends who are anti-choice, who voted for Bush (twice even). I know Christians, Wiccans, non-Wiccan Pagans, Buddhists, staunch Athiests, Muslims, Jews, and devout agnostics that I think are just swell people. I even have a a friend or two who still make racist comments on occasion. When you accept someone into your life, you accept the totality of that person, right or wrong.
Does this mean that I sit silently when someone is spouting something I deem to be utterly batshit? No, of course not. I always enjoy a spirited socio-political or even religious discussion. That's why we have free speech, after all. So I'm totally into chatting it up, even heatedly. I'm also not opposed to pointing out that some people gain their beliefs from dubious sources that lead me to doubt their veracity or validity. If you were raised Christian and didn't meet an openly gay person until you were 25, you can be forgiven (IMHO) for having some whacked ideas about homosexuality. If you weren't allowed to watch TV or eat junk food until college, you may actually NOT be a huge dick for implying that only ghetto dwellers drink coca-cola instead of water. If your minister told you from babyhood that dinosaurs never existed because they weren't in the Bible, you should maybe not be laughed at for thinking Jurrassic Park is every bit as blasphemous as The DaVinci Code (even if it is substancially better written). However, it may behoove you to open your mind a bit, and let some new opinions in. Besides, you learn a lot more from talking with people you disagree with than with people who sit around agreeing with each other.
But Wednes, you might say, I happen to know that you've unfriended and disinvited people to your events because of arguments about politics or social issues. This is not entirely true. You are free to think, feel, say and believe anything you want. Honest. What you can't do is be a disrespectful dick about it. You don't get to do the following things:
1. Cite "facts" that have no tangible evidence to back them up. "Insurance comapanies don't make a profit," "People on welfare live better than I do," "Most women only have abortions as a convenience," are all statements that require actual facts to back them up. Note: Opinion-based commentators are not spouting facts just because they're on TV.
2. Tell other people they they are immoral for disagreeing. Admittedly, I do think people are assholes for saying that poor people don't deserve the same medical care as rich people. That is also against the hippocratic oath. But I'm not going to tell them they're going to hell, or are going to be reincarnated as a dung beetle because we disagree. Neither should you (see above for facts v opinions)
3. Harass or badger people in an effort to "convince them" of your side. I'm all about discussions, even long ones with raised voices on occasion. But presuming that people would agree with you if you could just find the magical phrase that convinces them that you know best--you are displaying very little respect for them and their opinions. Not cool.
4. Presume that you have a monopoly on truth, political correctness, or that it's up to you alone to decide what others should be offended by.
5. Make presumptions about any group of people you do not personally keep time with. Also included: making presumption based on one person you don't actually know as if they are a microcosm of an entire group of people.
6. People who disagree may not be stupid, misguided, brainwashed, heartless, or liberal tree-huggers, unless of course they actually hug trees. ;-] So no namecalling unless someone is already being a serious prick.
There's probably more, but that's all I can think of at the mo. I'm at work, so my thinker is otherwise engaged.
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I'm very pro-environment, except for those environmentalists who consider to be goofballs. However, I love the term treehugger so much that whenever I see a news report come on about protecting the environment, I yell "Treehuggers!", pretending I'm either Eric Cartman or Archie Bunker . . . regardless whether I actually agree with the specific issue. It helps me dissipate some of the frustration I feel towards the world in general. I also get to use my treehugger icon :-D
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I shouldn't start sentences with "and", but I did it anyway. I'm a rebel. You don't even know what I'm capable of!
See that? I ended my sentence with a preposition. Oh man, I'm flying off the handle this morning!
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And I fully support taking some license with traditional rules of grammar and sentence structure. Go on with your bad self, Stranger!
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So the next time someone goes crazy on you, think about what they are truly afraid of happening in their "world" and I bet it makes more sense. This will account for just about everyone (except Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly)
I do have a humorous theory that the "Love Affair" with Obama is over on NPR though because they started calling him Mr Obama. When they like him he's Mr. President, when they don't he's Mr. Obama.
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I would not concur that "most" religions have some threat of damnation in leiu of salvation, but in this country that's certainly the case since the loudest religious types are Christian--which is very into threats, blaming, and shaming. It's actually let people to believe that threats, blaming and shaming are admirable qualities and good for society at large. But I digress...
People occasionally tell me that I "don't understand" this or that because I don't have any kids. I think the opposite is true. I think people's (borderline irrational, in many cases) fear for their own kids clouds their judgment on things that affect the world at large. Think about how many people confuse homosexuals with predatory pedophiles and then justify it saying "Well you never know--I'm not taking chances with MY kids" as if the local basketball coach or pastor is totally safe. Not to mention things people don't think should be mentioned at all because then they have to explain things to their own kids and they don't want to.
When I worked at Madstone, people went batshit over a poster for a movie called "Amy's Orgasm." Parents were freaking out because OMG my kid asked me what an Orgasm is OH NOES!!1! Even the dumbest jackass at the theatre was able to give his kid a concise, non-filthy explanation that the kid accepted and then forgot about. (I think he said it's when adults make each other very happy during sex--the kid was about 11 I think)