I'm astonished by how many people resort to fallacies to push a narrative devoid of evidence. I see people saying that "all people who support Trump are . . . " and "all people who have liberal ideas are _____." Hasn't anyone realized that these absolutes are the type that are only meant to divide and destroy? Has no one ever heard of the straw man, slippery slope (and the list goes on forever)?
There are some political ideologies that are bad. Very bad. Yet some are just not what we prefer or think will help us. It doesn't mean we should justify filthy name-calling or, even worse, fabricate untruths to hurt the people we don't agree with. For instance, if you know me, you know I'm a strong supporter of honest work, clean moral conduct, civil discourse, and lean toward the libertarian right.
Like, can people just stop trying to micro manage life with so much legislation? Government is a beastly mess, and I am for trying all sorts of slashing and burning of how things have been done to find solutions.
All of that said, I am a loather of Nazis, I detest crass public displays, while I support equality as far as it is actually equitable and not actively oppressive of others.
This all might sound vague. And I don't mean to be except I don't want this sliver to get infected with propaganda passed off as evidence and hate speech spewed all over toward me for actually having and keeping an open mind. I know it is a rare thing to find, but I believe that if people will step back and take a look around at who they are objectifying in the name of politics, they will realize that they left civil discourse out in the cold to die.
And I'm tired of it.
You and I often find ourselves at often sides of the political spectrum. While that can be challenging at times, I believe the bond of family has helped keep us together even when the waters get a little rough. I think one place where we align is our desire to have equal rights for all Americans and to reject legislation that infringes on rights guaranteed in that good old John Locke-based governing document. So here's to us finding where we agree and overcoming the political barriers inherent in the current political climate. <3
ReplyDeleteMy slice for the day: http://joolimammoth.blogspot.com/2017/03/gettin-real-nerdy.html#more
Yup. Me too.
ReplyDeletewhoops *opposite
ReplyDeleteMe too!! Your words are spot on: "I don't want this sliver to get infected with propaganda passed off as evidence and hate speech spewed all over toward me for actually having and keeping an open mind."
ReplyDeleteYep. It's quite troubling that civil discourse has lost its way in today's society.
ReplyDeleteCivility takes patience.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that bothers me the most is people, regardless of who they support, who refuse to be educated and willing to do more than just pass along things that agree with their ideas with no regard to truth. I'm also tired of being called a bleeding heart liberal. What I believe in is performing an act of kindness every day, because that's going to ripple out into the world and make a difference. I believe in keeping an open mind and educating ourselves. I believe that sometimes people have bad things happen and as a human we should help them. I believe that we can disagree yet still love and respect each other. Thanks for your post!
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