As I made my regular rounds this morning I seemed to notice an abnormal number of silly, stupid, or hurtful things being written by bloggers of every philosophical or political stripe who should know better. Libertarians were complaining that nothing good had ever come from government; opponents of the Iraq War were denying the possibility of any good outcomes of any kinds from it; Republicans were condemning Democrats as Stalinist thugs; Democrats were calling Republicans theocratic despots; evangelical Christian conservatives were just plain condemning liberals. Hyperbole, over-generalization, half-truths, flat-out lies. Really, people, if your argument is so fragile that you must rely on such weak stuff perhaps you should re-think your argument.
Am I just extraordinarily crotchety today or is there something in the water?
A wise man wrote a long, long time ago
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
Let’s grow up, folks.
I agree, Dave. I’m used to it on television where they put a liberal in one box and a conservative in another and let them loose. This coarse attitude is bleeding into daily interactions usually devoid of bloviating. I was having a very pleasant conversation with a business contact the other day about her upcoming trip to Italy and France. Suddenly, she launched into a very ugly diatribe on “a**hole rightwingers” who “should be shot.” I asked, “Every rightwinger?”
She anwered, “of course,” as if it was self evident.
I asked what she would say if she found out that I was a rightwinger.
“Well,” she said, looking at her fingernails for inspiration. The word just hung in the air and we went back to work.
This subject is something that I have been trying to articulate on my site. I don’t think you’re imaging it.
But you know, controversy builds traffic, no? So how about slamming me with a few choice epithets? I’ll return the favor and we can see what happens.
It’s being fed by the seed change in our government and out society of late.
Democrats are losing control for the frst time in 70 years. THey’re getting desperate.
Libertarians are begining to understand that their pipe dreams are exactly that… unless and until they do the job of changing minds to bring about the change they desire.
The Right, after being the kicking dog for so many years is justafyably pissed, and reacting as such.