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Musicmystery -> RE: Why so petty? (2/19/2010 10:09:16 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: DarkSteven
I just don't get it.
There was a foofraw about Obama putting his feet up on a desk. There's another one about him taking off his jacket in the White House.
People snipe at Palin about how hawt she is or isn't.
Cheney didn't complete his degree in four years.
Who freaking cares?
If I have a serious issue with someone's policies or management style, that's fair game. Cheney and Palin, IMO, have insane policies, and Obama has so far been Bush Lite. But the trivial stuff/
Hi Steven,
I think a few factors cause this, at least in a number of cases:
*people have already decided what they think, before any issue arises
*their side is, then, always right, all others always wrong
*discussing the actual issues would take time, knowledge, thinking, consideration
*some people find that the easy way, while others, like you, find it (and I agree) just an irrelevant waste of time
*add ego to this, the sense some people have that they can never admit they are wrong, even when facing strong evidence
*add the Internet--people say things behind their keyboards they would at least rephrase when face to face
*seemingly increasingly, people readily believe and parrot what they see on TV, hear on talk radio, and read on the Internet
It's the third item that troubles me most. We have a large electorate running primarily on attitude, preconceptions and misinformation, often taking stances at odds with their own best interests, repeating empty slogans with no idea of the impact of what they're supporting. I actually miss disagreement--seriously, I do. It sharpens our thinking, points out perhaps well-intentioned but not yet fully worked out positions, and adds inclusion of areas previously overlooked. It leads to better solutions that better address a broad range of constituents and interests. But the bickering does just the opposite, solidifying poorly conceived and unsupportable approaches by creating and rallying against a mythical enemy. The last item is also disturbing, but stems from the third one, and would need to reclaim independent thinking before it could be effectively addressed.
Add to this that we're in an awful mess.
Clinton was able to work around the edges of the GOP to address quite a bit of his agenda while considering theirs. At the same time, they spent most of that time looking for legal problems and semen--at taxpayer expense. I saw my first "Impeach Clinton" bumper sticker three days after the 1992 election. Three days! Come on. The message was to attack, no matter what.
Bush, the latest in the Reagan/Bush/Bush conservative revival, repeated the policies already demonstrated not to work for the nation, but for the top. The deficit soared, again. We went to war, again. We cut taxes anyway. Ridiculous. And yet the right waved their flags and rubber stamped anything he did or said. Credibility went out the window. And thing is, I don't expect to agree with everything. I thought Afghanistan was a terrible mistake--but at least I could see the argument for it (unlike Iraq, a lie start to "finish"). The rich got richer, while the gulf between rich and poor widened again. We repeated a banking crisis and a stock market crash. Still, people simply support and defend this, oblivious that they're being played. And today, what is the GOP plan? To defeat Obama and Democrats. That's it. Health care plan? To privatize Medicare and cut insurance regulation--a health care elimination plan. Deficit plan? Not if any Democrats are involved. Oh, and cut taxes.
Obama brought the promise of progress on the progressive front, but the economic situation before he even took office signaled he'd be unable to do what many had hoped. The deficit spending has indeed become even scarier, but I can at least see the argument for it in pulling out of recession, sustaining a recovery and addressing jobs in the short run. I think idealism and ego combined to convince him he was going to usher in a new era of bipartisan cooperation, ignoring that Republicans intend to stop him at all cost. He can appeal to the public, but people's minds are made up; they're not listening. I, like other progressives, wish he'd just admit reality and get to work. I admire what he said about being a good one term president as more important, but I don't believe him; clearly he's going to focus on whatever he can to be reelected. But how are the Democrats going to move forward in this climate? They've no idea.
So we're left with "movements" that aren't really movements. For all the hoopla, the Tea Party exemplifies this. A group of people largely new to the political process and (by their own self-description, not a slam) ignorant of it, march about with slogans and symbols and rhetoric about who does and doesn't love America. That they'd embrace Palin is telling--it's a bunch of people who want to stamp and shout. But a movement? They have no common principles, and despite what they claim, they're essentially all Republican voters who, in the end, will vote Republican, and who will oppose anything Democrat.
That's it. We've got a bunch of irate children facing off with arms crossed, more interested in fiery rhetoric, gilb soundbites and annoyingly common talking points than independent thinking, positions, argument, or, God forbid, discussion.
It alarms me. It's shutting down the country, while our health, economy, infrastructure, and long term security erode. It also shows signs of getting worse before it gets better. The only winners will be those with immense capital, personal and corporate, or politically connected to it, while the populace hands over the keys of the country to the new ruling class.
Signs of change? When protesters outside Planned Parenthood put down their signs, come inside and say, "OK, we still oppose your positions, but what can we do to work with you to prevent unwanted pregnancies in the first place?" and when they're told, "Look, we respect your abstinence position; let's talk about how we can help birth control while still understanding the moral principles we know are important to you," we might make progress, just for one example.
Until then, people will continue to blame government and the idiots who support the clueless, dangerous opposition party.
This country will bring itself down. We don't need help from terrorists.
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