Telling someone to listen to others is seldom something you can argue against, but I say screw it. Of course I listen, but within a minute they say (or write) something that is a fundamental part of their argument that makes no sense to me. It's often based on a half-truth or a complete lie or is too mean-spirited for me to take as a legitimate point.
The bumper stickers in the photo above are a good example of this. I took the photo in the parking lot of a small shopping center in suburban Philadelphia, one well known for its highly educated populace and home to several good colleges and universities.
What kind of a discussion could I have with the owner of this vehicle? The only thing I could agree with him (come on, we both know it's a him) is that supporting your local fire department is a good thing to do. Other than that, I get fatigued just thinking about talking to him.
We'll, Bill, that's part of the problem...the idea that you have nothing in common with him (or me, because I don't find anything offensive about the stickers) and could not begin to have a meaningful conversation.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who's telling you to make more of an effort to understand those to your right, but Bernie's been telling your side that you better get a grip on why Trump was elected or you don't have a prayer of getting him out of there in 2020. And so far, I'd say DJT is pretty safe next time around.
Hope you are well and the phantom pain is subsiding.
That you're unaware of anyone other than Bernie Sanders (who I'm no fan of) telling people on the left to listen to the right illustrates problems we all have these days, me as much as anyone else. I get the message from the New York Times, National Public Radio, the New Yorker Magazine, the Atlantic Monthly, MSNBC and CNN clips on YouTube (I don't have cable and watch very little television), and numerous op-ed pieces in my daily newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer. I doubt you read what I read, and I doubt I read what you read. The point I was trying to make is that when I do try to read or listen to media from the Right, I can't get past some basic assumptions they make. They're too black and white for me. What does it say about the Right that there are many more bumper stickers expressing their views than those of the Left? I think most liberals see more gray areas than most conservatives. If I had a bumper sticker about any issue I felt strongly about it would have to be a few paragraphs long. That would cause traffic accidents and probably damage the paint on my car!
DeleteThe phantom pain is as bad as ever. Time to seek some therapy. It's funny that phantom pain is now a big part of my daily life, yet I don't believe in ghosts.