At the end of last week I thought I was going to look forward to spending the last 15 minutes of each day writing a quick out pouring of thought. Then reality set in. Reality in the form of people sitting around trying to kill some time by talking to me! And horrors! I had some work to attend to. But just this minute, just a few moments ago everyone vacated the office to go have a look see of a stage they are setting up and tying up some loose ends before our huge event this week-end - so I thought, "Here's my chance!'
Yesterday I read some very disparaging remarks about our president on Face Book written by some guy I use to know and approved with that little thumbs up gizmo by another guy I barely knew or actually can't remember one iota. I could not control myself, I wrote "I'm surprised".
And then I worried, because I do not like to get into any political arguments. I am way out of my element.
But what I do know is I turn off, I don't listen, the curtain comes down when it becomes personal. When the issues are set aside and the mud is slung.
I truly believe that if you want change (and I was aghast at a T-shirt someone was wearing at the Biscuit Bucket "I'll keep my Money, My Guns, My freedoms and you can keep the change" he was accompanied by a girl wearing the Confederate Flag on her back. Good Lord!) then you run for office. It is ineffective to criticise and demoralize our elected officials with abusive attacks. It takes away and cheapens the point you are trying to make.
You either have a sound alternative point of view backed up with a logical difference of opinion or you resort to you attack with inane jokes and thinly veiled racism.
At best it's immature and at worst, mean spirited.
I wanted to write this whole litany to my old college buddy, but I didn't.
He replied to my comment with, "Surprised that he is 2nd (worst president ever)?'
"I'm surprised at you" I wrote back.
"I'll take that as a good thing" he replied further.
I always did like him, even if I disagree with his politics.
2 comments:
You either have a sound alternative point of view backed up with a logical difference of opinion or you resort to you attack with inane jokes and thinly veiled racism
That's the point. They don't have one (alternative point of view, logical argument, brain.) All they have is manufactured hatred, buzzwords, treasonous Facebook pages and Sarah Palin.
Yeah--Obama is a terrible president. All he's done is try to clean up eight years of George W. Bush's mess, keep the country financially afloat, and address the most pressing issues facing the American people (health care crisis.) Why the hell would we want someone in office who might actually CARE about what happens to you and me?
I hate political arguments as well, and being a liberal in a very conservative area has made me bite my tongue so many times, I'm surprised I have one left. What saddens me is that I hear very, very little political opinion that is deeper than a Fox News soundbite. I can respect and even learn from a logically developed political position different from my own, but when people just resort to ugliness, I shut down. And, even with friends I otherwise enjoy, I find my opinion of them lowered.
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