Adam and Eve, Mel! That's Two Cigars!
Nov. 5th, 2004 12:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
weaktwosNow, let's see if I can maintain my attention span long enough to voice these thoughts brewing in my head before the next "shiny object incident" occurs.
I've been pondering my emotions over the past few days.
I'm pretty annoyed, I'm rather concerned. But angry? No, not for long.
The only way I could be really angry was if someone had tampered with those 80% of the electronic voting machines that have no verification process. If it is true they have no verification process. I'm not so sure about that. The information I've found so far on the subject is rather weak.
So, until some better proof has come along, I do what our criminal court system does: presumption of innocence until proven guilty (beyond a reasonable doubt).
Having an itty bitty philosophy degree under my belt prevents me from thinking this is truly perfect. As much as I believe in the truth, I also see that people have subjective truths, and they operate on those truths.
But I am digressing from my original intent.
I've always thought that this country, being the land of democracy, and a system built in place where we, as a people, have the right to believe whatever we wish to believe. We have an election system, that, (see concern about electronic voting above) gives us, the people, a chance to choose our leaders based on a majority vote. Not always perfect, not always efficient, not always what we want to hear, and sure as hell not always what we want. But what the hell do you expect for a country of our size?
I've always liked the fact that we can be a nation; a strong, thriving nation of people with unique views, cultures and experiences all these people bring to the table. Granted, there are some real creeps and scuzzballs running around out there, but hey! somebody has to be at the lower end of the bell curve.
So, I believe that variety is a good thing, that it's healthy and educational. I certainly don't think everyone will hold the same views I do. And sometimes, my views are going to be in the minority. So, if a majority of the people voted to support a candidate that I don't believe in, I'm not going to hate my neighbor because he/she voted for someone else. I'm not going to divorce myself from my fellow americans because they have different views from my own. I do this in the hope that they do not do the same to me.
So, when the majority of the country doesn't vote the way I, Queen Anne of All that I Survey, voted, I'm not going to despise and rail against all those people who expressed their beliefs. Nobody likes to be called stupid. Nobody likes to be called ignorant. Most of all, no one is going to listen to your point of view after you have called them stupid, ignorant, evil, etc. Since most people do not think they themselves are stupid, ignorant or evil, upon informing them of said "facts" gives them reason to not trust your judgement or opinion.
This is where I smile and think of one of my favorite literary characters. Oh, let me call him out right now. [cut to dialogue]
ME: Atticus!!! Ooooooh, Atticus Finch!
ATTICUS: Well, good evening, Anne. You haven't been fantasizing about me again, have you?
ME: Uhhh, well that's not why I called you here, per se.
ATTICUS: Oh, alright then. What can I do for you?
ME: I want you to tell them [points at livejournal] what you told Scout. About the trick.
ATTICUS[clearing throat]: Of course. I said, "First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
ME: That's the one, Atticus! Thanks!
[Just as Atticus was about to say something, Anne shoves Atticus back into Harper Lee's book, closes the book, and shoves it back on the shelf.]
*sigh* Am I the only one who thought that Gregory Peck was incredibly sexy as Atticus Finch?
The moral of the story, kids? If you catch me trying to crawl into your pants, I'm not molesting you; I'm just trying to understand you.
But seriously, if about half of us think that George Bush is doing the right thing, and the rest of us think he's Satan's spawn, and we're looking at the same man, I don't think this is a time for a big knife fight. It's time to figure out where we're coming from, and what "truths" we're operating on.
I'm not saying that you need to hug your ideological opponent today. But I guarantee that getting militant about your views will not change anyone's mind, either. Presenting your viewpoint in a style and language that only your sympathizers care to hear is not going to inform. That's just preaching to the choir. It's also like masturbating in public. You're really into your righteous indignation and vitriol, but those that aren't feeling what you're feeling are a little disturbed and creeped-out by it.
So, to all my friends, regardless of your beliefs, if you want to make a difference among people who are different, you must understand and respect those very elements that separate you and them. Notice I didn't say "agree".
Now, if you indeed follow Atticus' advice, and walk a mile in someone else's shoes, and still believe that all those people are utter ass-clowns, then yes, maybe forming a new nation of like-minded thinkers is what needs to happen.
I've always thought that the foundation of this country was form a social contract of individuals. Implicit in that concept is that we have different views, yet we do not oppress or hate each other because of our different views. If your believe in tolerance and love and liberty, wearing anger and intolerance does not suit you.
Now, we'll get to the fact that I do not believe that our current administration is supporting the ideals of this country. But not tonight.
Well, that's it for now, kids. The "shiny object incident" has come to pass. Sweet dreams.
I've been pondering my emotions over the past few days.
I'm pretty annoyed, I'm rather concerned. But angry? No, not for long.
The only way I could be really angry was if someone had tampered with those 80% of the electronic voting machines that have no verification process. If it is true they have no verification process. I'm not so sure about that. The information I've found so far on the subject is rather weak.
So, until some better proof has come along, I do what our criminal court system does: presumption of innocence until proven guilty (beyond a reasonable doubt).
Having an itty bitty philosophy degree under my belt prevents me from thinking this is truly perfect. As much as I believe in the truth, I also see that people have subjective truths, and they operate on those truths.
But I am digressing from my original intent.
I've always thought that this country, being the land of democracy, and a system built in place where we, as a people, have the right to believe whatever we wish to believe. We have an election system, that, (see concern about electronic voting above) gives us, the people, a chance to choose our leaders based on a majority vote. Not always perfect, not always efficient, not always what we want to hear, and sure as hell not always what we want. But what the hell do you expect for a country of our size?
I've always liked the fact that we can be a nation; a strong, thriving nation of people with unique views, cultures and experiences all these people bring to the table. Granted, there are some real creeps and scuzzballs running around out there, but hey! somebody has to be at the lower end of the bell curve.
So, I believe that variety is a good thing, that it's healthy and educational. I certainly don't think everyone will hold the same views I do. And sometimes, my views are going to be in the minority. So, if a majority of the people voted to support a candidate that I don't believe in, I'm not going to hate my neighbor because he/she voted for someone else. I'm not going to divorce myself from my fellow americans because they have different views from my own. I do this in the hope that they do not do the same to me.
So, when the majority of the country doesn't vote the way I, Queen Anne of All that I Survey, voted, I'm not going to despise and rail against all those people who expressed their beliefs. Nobody likes to be called stupid. Nobody likes to be called ignorant. Most of all, no one is going to listen to your point of view after you have called them stupid, ignorant, evil, etc. Since most people do not think they themselves are stupid, ignorant or evil, upon informing them of said "facts" gives them reason to not trust your judgement or opinion.
This is where I smile and think of one of my favorite literary characters. Oh, let me call him out right now. [cut to dialogue]
ME: Atticus!!! Ooooooh, Atticus Finch!
ATTICUS: Well, good evening, Anne. You haven't been fantasizing about me again, have you?
ME: Uhhh, well that's not why I called you here, per se.
ATTICUS: Oh, alright then. What can I do for you?
ME: I want you to tell them [points at livejournal] what you told Scout. About the trick.
ATTICUS[clearing throat]: Of course. I said, "First of all, if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
ME: That's the one, Atticus! Thanks!
[Just as Atticus was about to say something, Anne shoves Atticus back into Harper Lee's book, closes the book, and shoves it back on the shelf.]
*sigh* Am I the only one who thought that Gregory Peck was incredibly sexy as Atticus Finch?
The moral of the story, kids? If you catch me trying to crawl into your pants, I'm not molesting you; I'm just trying to understand you.
But seriously, if about half of us think that George Bush is doing the right thing, and the rest of us think he's Satan's spawn, and we're looking at the same man, I don't think this is a time for a big knife fight. It's time to figure out where we're coming from, and what "truths" we're operating on.
I'm not saying that you need to hug your ideological opponent today. But I guarantee that getting militant about your views will not change anyone's mind, either. Presenting your viewpoint in a style and language that only your sympathizers care to hear is not going to inform. That's just preaching to the choir. It's also like masturbating in public. You're really into your righteous indignation and vitriol, but those that aren't feeling what you're feeling are a little disturbed and creeped-out by it.
So, to all my friends, regardless of your beliefs, if you want to make a difference among people who are different, you must understand and respect those very elements that separate you and them. Notice I didn't say "agree".
Now, if you indeed follow Atticus' advice, and walk a mile in someone else's shoes, and still believe that all those people are utter ass-clowns, then yes, maybe forming a new nation of like-minded thinkers is what needs to happen.
I've always thought that the foundation of this country was form a social contract of individuals. Implicit in that concept is that we have different views, yet we do not oppress or hate each other because of our different views. If your believe in tolerance and love and liberty, wearing anger and intolerance does not suit you.
Now, we'll get to the fact that I do not believe that our current administration is supporting the ideals of this country. But not tonight.
Well, that's it for now, kids. The "shiny object incident" has come to pass. Sweet dreams.
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no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 12:12 pm (UTC)Nicely said.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 03:15 pm (UTC)We've fixed that, now. :-)
Wow
Date: 2004-11-05 12:40 pm (UTC)And Gregory Peck was sexy in pretty much every role I ever saw him in. The top two on my list being Roman Holiday and Spellbound followed closely by To Kill a Mockingbird.
Re: Wow
Date: 2004-11-05 03:13 pm (UTC)Yeah, Gregory Peck had that special something.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 02:08 pm (UTC)It saddens me that several people on my list have basically said "let's just give up and separate the country so 1/2 can be one way and 1/2 can be another". Being separate doesn't work. Haven't we learned anything from our own history? It's not going to be easy, but change can be affected--if we stay together.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 03:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 02:13 pm (UTC)Haha...hell, no! I'm sure there are a bunch of us... :)
Excellent post & very well-stated...I'm getting annoyed at the people saying they're moving to Canada...how will that help make our country better? *sigh*
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 03:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 03:43 pm (UTC)Of all the theology courses I have taken, my favorite was Moral Theology. Our professor was very much lile Atticus. He taught us that you can not really take sides ona n issue until you try your best to understand the opposing view, and that there are really no "black and white" issues".
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 04:06 pm (UTC)I was supposed to go on and converse with you about this post.. But everything I had in mind just flew the hell out the window at the mention of Gregory Peck.
I must admit.. That man was easy on the eyes now, wasn't he.. *grin*.
And damn my mental imagery! Now you got me visualizing you crawling into my pants and stuff. Thankfully I wasn't in them at the time and I imagined you crawling up into them all neko~like or like a little mouse.
Now to re~read the post.. And try not to get distracted by Gregory Peck again..
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 04:25 pm (UTC)But yeah. Gregory Peck. Yeah.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-15 06:49 am (UTC)I agree with you whole heartedly, and that is why lately much of my conversations say at REM and with my brother have been more observations and understanding of all these peopel beliving Bush is right and having different viewpoints than mine or theirs (being the peopel i was speaking to). they weren't even about what i believed, it was more about noticing and understanding rather than just preaching tot he choir. And i got surprisingly good results, but then i wasn't really attempting to sway anyone's opinion, just more of an open your eyes type of thing. I think that is great.
Most peopel do not take the time to do that, to observe peopel and see their point of view, figure out what they think and why, and it's sad because it makes things easier for you and also can give you ad advantage as opposed to simply being adversarial. but then i have also met a lot of peopel who are not just unwilling or don't think to do that, they are unable to do that. or maybe they have no interest in it. i think that is a very enlightened characteristic, it goes hand in hand with not pushing your beliefs on someone else, which the religious right are clearly incapable of, and recognizing that what works for you might not work for someone else or vice versa. this shoudl affect what type of advice they give you and vice versa they shoudl speak as if they were you, saying i tried that and it didn't work after all, shouldn't necessarily compel you not to, unless i can say this is why it failed, and you are in the same situation as me or share the same relative characteristics and viewpoints. but i have found few people able to do that. I admire and reatly value those as good friends, thoguh i have friends who can't.
and i just wanted to add, i love you for your mind, but the boobs don't hurt either ;-)