Neither do I, but that’s not the point. The point is that, at best, it doesn’t do anything for a rational exchange of ideas.
“But aren’t you being somewhat of a fraud? You called people unintelligent and irrational you don’t see that as name calling?”
Just so we’re clear, I didn’t say they were unintelligent and irrational, I said that they were acting that way. There’s a difference. That said, I see the point you’re trying to make. The main difference is that I’m not doing it for the purposes of attacking or manipulating people’s emotions. I’m doing it for the purposes of trying to get to the root of the problem. Example: Say I’m trying to talk to my boss about something I’d like changed, and I’m yelling and screaming, and a colleague says, “Zeke, you’re yelling and screaming, and it’s making your boss angry. He’s not hearing what you’re saying, he only sees that you’re yelling and screaming. You need to calm down.” That’s different from someone saying, “Ha ha, look at that blithering fool! Only a jackass (insert occupation or political affiliation here) would act like that to his boss. They’re all idiots. No wonder they can’t get anything done. Morons!” One seeks to improve the situation while the other seeks to make the other side look bad.
“Too bad you toss it aside with the qualifier “But” immediately after”
It’s a small point, but I don’t consider saying that they aren’t good at it lessening at all the fact that they would do it if they were good at it.
“I don’t find the “sometimes” in the first part of that statement.”
It wasn’t in the first part. But I certainly didn’t mean to say I acted that way all the time. Shoulda been more clear.
“One more thing! I assume that when you said “that if they can be taught to act that way, then they can be taught to use reason and logic and calm discussion” you aren’t implying any sort of degradation of free will are you? Just give them the knowledge and let them run with it?”
I was suggesting education, not degradation of free will. Actually, what I was suggesting was leadership by example. Our politicians have set an example of partisan bickering. I think republicans over the last 10 years have taken that to new heights. I’m certainly willing to agree to disagree on that point. It doesn’t really matter whether it was the republicans or Karl Rove or not. What matters is that it is the way it is, and it should be changed. And I think Obama is the kind of leader who can set an example of cooperation and communication rather than fighting and manipulating.
