Been watching the RNC convention to see if it’d be more entertaining than Comedy Central. Next week will do the same with the Dem’s convention. I ain’t trying to be cynical here but as I read what I’m writing I sure sound like it.
If you’re gonna be a die-hard Democrat, learn to argue Democrat talking points. If you’re gonna be a die-hard Republican, learn to argue Republican talking points. We have got ourselves polarized here. Conservatives have labeled liberals as evil and vice versa. Do ya want to impact the political action in this country, pick a side and stand up for it. If the parties look too much alike, you decide that, don’t let some personal friend posing as a cynic feed you his facts until you call them your facts.
Learn yer own facts dammit. Then forge yer own opinion and advocate for it from your own study, don’t pull the lazy chicken-poop of copy-and-paste somebody else’s cool phrases.
There be very few activist-moderate types nowadays … unless you want to build a soap box for better civics training, then stand an preach from it.
For the most part, the media wants to educate us to be conservatives or liberals cause it makes their management of what to publish easier … less nuance … less grey areas (where most wisdom is found.) It’s the either/or stuff the news folks like to sell. That’s why you can have the most wonderfulest idea in the world and a news org will take the dumbest disagreement from the dumbest doofus and claim that each issue has two equal 50/50 points of view, even if one is the dumbest thing you ever heard. That’s a version of fair and balanced or, more accurately, sellable versus boring and truth be damned.
Arguers for the most part are not trying to learn anything. That’s cause they know what they believe and the meaner ones on both sides believe what they’ve figured out or been told and contrary evidence don’t matter.
So when you hear your hero or their hero make a point, cross-examine them in yer head. Think up questions you’d like to ask and then look up the answers to those questions you thought up. You’ll be smarter for it.
If you’re in a pissing contest with an opposite number as absolutely committed to their point of view as are you to yours, remember that both of you are inclined to dismiss each other’s truths. If you aren’t concerned with any truth but your own then you might be afraid of learning something new or being exposed to some sort of intellectual or political heresy. If you must conform to your bar-room group’s doofus theories you are stuck in a rut of conformity of your own creation. And you ain’t gonna be too effective whether you kid yourself that you are or not.
Case in point, watch the conventions of both parties. You’ll see choir preaching and rah-rah bullcrap tossed out with the expected screeching and ha-ha-Herman applause that do nothing but pass the time forward to the end of that evening’s activity. Case in point last night with Mr. Giulaani becoming hysterical and his arena choir eating it all up. Giuliani shoveled more crap from that podium than I’ve seen in a long time. Democrats next week will have a hard act to follow … but some of them will try in the same vein.
Bottom line is that we’ve devolved politically to the maturity of a junior high school locker room … and that ain’t no laughing matter.
Curmudgeon at Work 