Facing Ignorance

You are so right Zoot.

It is that blind belief that has given us the airports that we currently have, and the abuse of our 4th amendment rights.

It amazes me everyday when I hear people say they feel safer because they are being x-rayed and groped at the airport. Little do they realize all of those precautions only inconvenience them.

As they say locks only keep the honest people out.

People, in general are susceptable to fearmongering, demogagory, and the ignorance that so often accompanies it. The problem, as I see it is that many of these crack pots have been given unpresidented access to the MSM, and are treated like credible commentators. Most of them are most certainly not. They spend their days formenting outrage, creating false equivalencies and soft-pedaling racism.

As a country, we are in deep trouble when we characterize college educated and liberals as effete latte-sipping socialist/marxist/muslims. I am 46 years old and I remember a time when sending your kid to college was a great source of pride for most families.

Until people get tired of what is being spoon-fed to them, until, the MSM quits treating crack-pots like Oricles, I don’t see this changing.

Been ‘there’ many times with my bro, Mensa member, graduated from high school at 12, graduated from college at 16, went on to become successful but I swear what comes out of his mouth about our President, the Dem’s, minorities, liberals, etc. makes me cringe and I wonder who the hell is that guy emailing me? Not the bro I thought I knew. Yet, he claims he is not racist and will take huge umbrage if I even suggest he is. Too sad. However, he has such good qualities as a father and husband. His daughter is just a joy and doesn’t share any of his beliefs. Interesting to say the least.

You know it’s bad when a college education is considered to be a bad thing. How many times have we all seen a TP post starting with, “Those liberal elite professors……..?”

Some points:

First, I always thought that being in “the elite” was somethng to aspire to, not to be reviled. When did THAT change? We talk about elites in sports, in the military, and in business, but all of a sudden, being an elite intellectually is a bad thing. I simply repudiate that.

Second: Snobbishness works both ways. I know people that revel in their lack of education, trailer trash lifestyle, political ignorance, or religious intolerance, and will forever reject and cast out anyone that does not accomodate them. Point is, you can be a snob about anything.

Third: Lack of critical thinking is a result of deep societal psychosis over education for the past 2 or 3 generations. Of course this country has never placed a premium on critical thinking in public education, but has instead focused on grinding out workers for industry and agriculture. We are currently in the throes of finding a new path. It’s not pretty or promising.

Finally, I have no idea how to keep the blood from exiting the cranial orifices, buddy. I just try not to take it personally and keep as far away from such people as possible. If forced to come in contact with such folk, and the conversation turns to politics and associated subjects, the well-injected non-sequiter generally works well to distract. It’s the conversational equivalent to shouting “SQUIRREL!!!!” Works every time to cover a strategic withdrawal.

8)

Zoot. I have the same issue with people who are willfully ignorant—I just cannot tolerate them. And yes, that makes me intolerant. (As if being labeled intolerant is a terrible condemnation. Well, excuse me, but what is the virtue in being tolerant of racists, bigots, and fascists?)

I’ve had a few conversations about this—about what to do with friends and family members who love Rush or Beck or Palin. I guess I am not the best person to ask, because there is no one in my entire family who was ever a Repub. And if I find out that a friend is a Rightie, we cannot be friends. Of course we can’t be friends! Why would I be friends with someone who sees the world entirely differently?? On an individual level, they may be caring and generous people, but I consider the far-right to have a pathology and want no part of them in my life.

Obviously, we can’t choose our family or who we are forced to work with. But I think it’s reasonable to insist that politics be banned in those arenas. If I had a family member who insisted on talking politics, they’d see very little of me.

Hi Zoot,

You said: “So there’s my dilema, how can I keep my blood from spurting out my ears?” Perhaps we can assume that not everyone who watches Fox News believes the lies that are promulgated there. In other words, some people tune in for reasons other that being falsely indoctrinated. Secondly, one of the most frustrating things we can do is trying to convince someone of something which runs contrary to their hardened beliefs (you can lead someone to water, but you can’t make ’em think). If we are mindful of dynamics like these, then maybe we can keep the spurting to a minimum. Just sayin’. (P.S. I wanted to place a smiley here, still strugling to figure it out).

Well I think the topper to the cake, was when King was on Lawrence O’Donnell, and showed the video of the Iowans stupidly saying that Obama was a Muslim and this colored all his views. The next question to little miss BonBon, should have been “How has it affected his views?” “Which ones in regard to Egypt?” But because it was not probed further, I would have to say it was a set up situation. And King certainly would not stand up for Obama, and he acted despicably and said he still believes Obama is a Muslim. The guy is a moron and reminded me of a used car dealer. “Well the car is clearly dented and rusty.” “No, its supposed to be that way, it came like that.”

Maybe we should assemble a group of teenagers that agree with us and tell them to talk about what they think about Palin, Boehner, the religious right, and anti-abortionists who kill people and think its justified. Hmmm… Maybe I will do that….. OH, even funnier, assemble the same group of teens daily, as issues arise. Film at 5.

So there’s my dilema, how can I keep my blood from spurting out my ears?

I understand this feeling oh-so-very well as I am living in my own personal “red” hell. I live in a small part of N Eastern PA… what’s often called “the Alabama” part of Pennsylvania. If I may be so bold, I would like to offer advice:

First, base the level of “elite liberal snobbishness” in your answer to the value of the realationship of the person you are confronting. If they are a person who means a lot to you and there isn’t any way to discuss the issue without animosity, maybe it’s best to just agree to disagree. Seriously, I’ve found the private eyeroll to be a lifesaver. Yeah, I know it’s a little juvenille… but so are my mother’s views on politics. So there.

Sometimes that’s just not possible. The person is in your face about it, or your level of annoyance has reached its peak. In those instances, I’ve found that a polite response of completely non-political truth does quite nicely. For instance, on the complete non-issue of the President’s faith, I will often very innocently say something like “Oh my, I hope he doesn’t get into trouble with his Muslim peers over his Christian wedding, his non adherence to salah, and his eating of pork.”

The looks on their faces as they try to “reason” those points away are priceless.

Zoot, well said. The people of NW Iowa in particular do not surprise me. While there may be a border between IA and MN it’s really just a change in the style of rest areas on the interstate or the IA farmer growing corn instead of his MN neighbor doing Soybeans. The attitudes cross the border quite easily, sadly most of them are really quite bigoted. There is a lot of fear up in these parts. Racism, intolerance and homophobia rule the roost Much of the area to the south of me is hard core Lutheran and in MN the only difference between them and the Catholics, are the little trappings, Latin, nuns, priests, confession and I think the Catholics have better wine. Other than that they have the same outlook – white is right, religious right is better, evangelical right is the only key to heaven. Thankfully I’m headed to hell cuz I think more of my friends will be there to entertain me.

Let us not forget the area in question in the interview is either in or next to Steve King’s district, you know that guy, Mr Liberal? And a short way up the interstate you find the southern burbs of MSP where the women almost made McCain faint when she cackled into the microphone on national TV that Obama was an arab. I think that was the moment McCain knew he’d made a mistake letting the pitbull go out and whip up that hatred machine. And let us not forget the northern burbs of MSP are Bachman country. Yes, I am surrounded by zealots, uninformed Fox news devotees. But we are strong in the city. Have plenty of food and heat. We will survive despite the best efforts to bring us to their level.

BTW, My sister and her husband are/were Bushies. They even had a signed photo of his on the bedroom dresser. Now that shows you the difference between a liberal and a conservative. If his photo was staring at me from the dresser all the Viagra in the world wouldn’t help. Apparently for them it was a motivator. They finally left his fold when they lost a ton of money in one of the crashes. Now down to low double digit millions they talk about “living simply” – but that’s another story

Thanks again

As much as anyone might deny it, this ignorance just isn’t limited to the Right. The Left is just as bad in some instances. Try being a Southern Democrat and having the tolerant Left refer to you as an unreconstructed Confederate, tell you that racism is confined only to the South and deem you ignorant as part of that demographic.

For example, I was called a liar by those tolerant Huffposters for saying that after the Civil Rights Act was signed into being by LBJ, the ensuing summers saw white backlash and violend race riots ONLY in Northern cities – Philly, Detroit, Newark, Cleveland, Boston and Los Angeles – and that George Wallace drew larger numbers of people to his Northern political rallies than either Ronald Reagan or Richard Nixon.

I’m not making that up. It’s there in the history books for all to read.

I’m listening to Dan Carlin’s “Hardcore History” audio blog on Toughness, which brings up the question whether today’s people could stand a chance in a war against our grandfathers.

People like these right wing commentators clearly have not enough important or worthwhile to do, so they fill their hollow, empty days with drivel such as this. They’re soft, spoiled, wasteful schoolboys, playing at the game of politics, too unaware and unwilling to take on an adult’s true responsibility to their society.

There is nothing wrong with asking people too de-friend you since you disagree with Rush’s pov, I respect people like that, I’ve lost friends over my staunch, uncompromising pro-choice views but at the same time, I’ve gain new friends in the process.

And fly over America has become the ideological battleground. That’s why anything the right says these days doesn’t surprise me at all; it’s almost to be expected it’s almost reminiscent of the Goldwater 60’s era minus the technology.

Like I’ve alwasy said Obama could show these people anything they ask for and they still would caste doubt. You would think they would be talking about a potential GOP candidate and what they are looking for. It’s all about division there are people no matter how hard you convince them will alwasy be about division on some level.

These people I bet are pro-life and yet abortion would be allowed for them all while saying they are pro-life. And when you have 72% of Oklahoman’s voting against their own first amendment rights banning Sheria law then all you can do is stand your ground and keep making your voice heard these people will never change.