Saw some comments somewhere a few days ago, someone was complaining that people too often wind up only looking at sites that mirror their own views, and can't we all just get familiar and get along? and so forth. I admit that I mostly look at and return to sites that either are demonstrating views similar to my own, or argue with mine in a civilized manner. They don't say that someone on the other side of an argument is evil, stupid, in league with the witch burners, etc.; they accept that people have different views for reasons that are valid to them, and go from there. They're also willing to have an actual argument about matters, as opposed to "you poor benighted fool, once you hear wisdom from my lips/keyboard you will be unchained". I used to be a whole lot more tolerant of sites that considered someone like me to be evil or stupid, and I'd go back occasionally, but I almost never do now.
For one thing, there's only so much time, and what I have for looking around I don't want to waste on the words of someone who would flash the sign against the Evil Eye against me if we met in person. For another, I'm just damn tired of it. Earlier today a site I check on fairly regularly had a link to another site, so I went to look around. First couple of posts I read were ok, and then...
The Downing Street memo proves Bush lied, we all really know there were no CBN weapons in Iraq, we're trapped in a quagmire and the government is lying to us about it and the only real way to support the troops is to bring the home NOW! I read that post, and the comments, then left that site. And I'll probably never go back. I'm not going to repeat here what's known about the actual import of the memo, I'm not going to go over anything; I'm just not going to waste time going back to a place where every other post is going to be a "Bush Lied" etc. piece. I'm tired of hearing it. I'm not going back to a place where Pelosi is hailed as a hero for basically saying that the 'really important thing' right now is to get Bush, or Dean is praised for saying that no member of the other party ever did an honest days work, and is a racist, and...
If you're one of the folks who came her and argued with me about global warming, let me repeat some things I put down in the early days of this blog. I'm registered as a Republican primarily because I got really pissed off years ago at the way the Democrat party ran things in this state. A candidate cannot count on my vote simply because he's a Republican. I don't want the government telling me what I can read, speak, write, hear, watch or say. I think there should be a 'safety net' for those who need help, but it should help them get back on their feet or just help them the amount needed; it should NOT be there to keep people stuck in it forever. I like woods to walk and hunt in, clean water to drink and look at and swim in, clean air to breathe; I also like having the energy to run the products that have made life one hell of a lot more comfortable and easy in many ways. I hate abortion, but I don't think it should be banned(though the way so many use it as just another method of birth control makes my skin crawl). If you said you weren't comfortable with just anyone buying a grenade launcher or something of the sort, I'd probably agree with you; but when someone tries to use 'legitimate sporting purposes' to limit what type/how many firearms or ammunition I'll be allowed to own, I get pissed of and say "Fat effin' chance". I'm willing to argue about almost anything. BUT...
When you start with the "you're too stupid/unsophisticated/uneducated/evil to understand what is Right", I'll either tell you to fuck off or walk away. And if you think that calling someone those things is a good way to change their mind, then you have rocks in your head. Tell me you're concerned with how the enemy being held in Gitmo are being treated, and we can talk; compare the place to a gulag and our personnel there to Commies/Nazis/Khmer Rouge and I'll tune you out. I'm not wasting my time and energy with someone who actually believes that, or thinks that counts as intelligent discourse.
Yeah, I know there are right-wing sites just as bad in their way. I don't read them, either. For the same basic reasons.
This ends my rant for tonight. I need a drink.
Oh, if you don't normally read Lileks, go read this eon.
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