The single thing that worries me most about our future is the trend toward fact-free discourse. Climate change is a hoax. The deficit is because of Obama's new spending. Cutting taxes increases revenue. America has the best health care system in the world. Obama's policies are communist. Iraq was behind 9/11. Scott Brown advocated violence against Martha Coakley. Palin said "I can see Russia from my house". Al Gore said he invented the Internet. So many things flying around are just not true.
That worries me a lot too. I tend to get into my fair share of political arguments, because I, uh have a lot of opinions, and in my experience what tends to happen at the end of the argument is that the other person says to me: "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion."
And then I turn around and say, "Yes. everyone is entitled to their own informed opinion, but no one is entitled to their own facts."
Then they stare at me like I have just lost my mind.
Vortex, I have no thoughts, other than the GC's office is relatively sane. Ears now open, though!
Thanks! They wanted 5 years experience, which I do have, but it's just not called what they want it to be.
ITA. I'm starting to swing back to my belief that politics in the US are irreparably broken.
It's been worse (e.g. the Civil War), but the problems/attitudes are not bound to specific regions so much these days. Also, the internets make everything a bit louder, I think, than in times past, or at least more immediate.
All I want to know about that robocall is, who is Ehrlich in The Wire?!
[Sox may be the only one who understands where I'm coming from on this point - our fathers were, when their eyes were good - some of the best shots in the US and we were raised with certain expectations]
expectation 1: do not fire unless you are sure of your shot.
expectation 2: do not piss off people who can shoot very well and are related to you.
does that sound about right, sparky?
that said? I'm very glad this person missed.
That worries me a lot too. I tend to get into my fair share of political arguments, because I, uh have a lot of opinions, and in my experience what tends to happen at the end of the argument is that the other person says to me: "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion."
Ugh. There's a whole thread going on my FB page (a friend's, rather, not my own) that started out with this gem:
OK people - if you think you are tolerant and broad minded and then post comments like "idiot" (saw this as a comment on an friend's post) or marginalize a persons beliefs, political or not, you are the one who is ignorant and intollerant. You may not like what that person is saying but if you can't respect their right to say it, your the one with the problem.
and a stream of comments like:
I couldn't agree more! Tolerance is tolerance of all opinions, even those you don't agree with!
So far I'm staying away, mostly because I know if I start to type, something like "My the-one-with-the-problem what?" or "But what's your stance on ignorance of the spelling of intolerance?" will come out. And that's before I even get to the substance of the post. It will not end well.
