In a troubled world. . .

[Terrierman]

I'm fine with reading the room but if you're a racist/misogynist/conspiracy theorist/generally an a hole you won't be invited over for a BBQ.

[Ham]

One man’s racism is another man’s neighborliness or something like that. 

[Al Agnew]

We are being played.  We are being radicalized just as surely as some Middle Eastern young man being radicalized by his religious leader.  We have gotten to the point where we don't actually listen to the viewpoints of those we disagree with, we only listen to what OUR side is telling us about them.  So we believe the worst about the opposition, to the point where, instead of looking upon them simply as people with ideas we don't like, we begin to look upon them as evil and the enemy.  How are we being radicalized like this?  We are able, and willing, to only listen to the "news" channels and talking heads and internet sites that reinforce what we already want to believe; we either never SEE the other side, or we have been conditioned to believe the other side is lying and any evidence that they might be right on something is "fake news".

And yet...when we deal with people of the other political persuasion in person in settings where politics isn't discussed, we always find we have plenty of common interests and beliefs, and we don't look upon each other as enemies...until politics gets brought up.  

Consider racism, for instance.  I'd bet that a lot of people who can be accused of having racist attitudes have an acquaintance or two that are of the race they "don't like", and they like those that they know.  But somehow, the nice guy they know is not like those OTHER people of that race.  I know of several people in the county where I used to live who adamantly deny they are racist, and to prove it they always say they are friends with a couple black guys that live in that county.  Yup.  Those black guys are part of a tiny minority in that county, and they do all they can to fit in with the vast majority.  In other words, they keep their heads down and their mouths shut to get along.  But the guys who are "friends" with them do not equate them with all the inner city black people that they consider to all be lazy, drug-addicted criminals and welfare queens.

A friend of mine who is of the opposite political bent sometimes asks me what I think about some egregious behavior that "my side" has done.  Invariably, it's something that only the radical fringe would ever think about doing.  Like, he might ask, "what do you think about liberals burning the flag and shouting "death to America"?  He is taking the behavior or actions of a tiny minority on the radical fringe, and equating them with everybody on "my side", even though he knows that I would never think about burning a flag or hating America.

Or what my wife just said the other day, after we had spent a pleasant evening with good friends..."They are such wonderful people.  I just can't understand how they could vote Republican."

Somehow, we have to get past this radicalization, and get back to looking upon those we disagree with as Americans, too; not enemies of America.

[fishinwrench]

Answer me this......If almost everytime a yellow dog runs through your yard it leaves a pile of crap in your driveway, while black, brown ,tan, and white dogs come & go all the time and never drop a load.......Not the same yellow dog, mind you, but almost every dog that's yellow.

So eventually you start start running off all yellow dogs as soon as you see one. 

Are you being "racist"? 

And if so, then WHY is being racist something that you don't wanna be?   

 

 

Personally, I'd rather you call me a "racist" than be known as the neighborhood Poop Scooper. 

90% of what most consider "racism" is nothing more than a reaction to a pattern. 

[trythisonemv]

7 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

We are being played.  We are being radicalized just as surely as some Middle Eastern young man being radicalized by his religious leader.  We have gotten to the point where we don't actually listen to the viewpoints of those we disagree with, we only listen to what OUR side is telling us about them.  So we believe the worst about the opposition, to the point where, instead of looking upon them simply as people with ideas we don't like, we begin to look upon them as evil and the enemy.  How are we being radicalized like this?  We are able, and willing, to only listen to the "news" channels and talking heads and internet sites that reinforce what we already want to believe; we either never SEE the other side, or we have been conditioned to believe the other side is lying and any evidence that they might be right on something is "fake news".

And yet...when we deal with people of the other political persuasion in person in settings where politics isn't discussed, we always find we have plenty of common interests and beliefs, and we don't look upon each other as enemies...until politics gets brought up.  

Consider racism, for instance.  I'd bet that a lot of people who can be accused of having racist attitudes have an acquaintance or two that are of the race they "don't like", and they like those that they know.  But somehow, the nice guy they know is not like those OTHER people of that race.  I know of several people in the county where I used to live who adamantly deny they are racist, and to prove it they always say they are friends with a couple black guys that live in that county.  Yup.  Those black guys are part of a tiny minority in that county, and they do all they can to fit in with the vast majority.  In other words, they keep their heads down and their mouths shut to get along.  But the guys who are "friends" with them do not equate them with all the inner city black people that they consider to all be lazy, drug-addicted criminals and welfare queens.

A friend of mine who is of the opposite political bent sometimes asks me what I think about some egregious behavior that "my side" has done.  Invariably, it's something that only the radical fringe would ever think about doing.  Like, he might ask, "what do you think about liberals burning the flag and shouting "death to America"?  He is taking the behavior or actions of a tiny minority on the radical fringe, and equating them with everybody on "my side", even though he knows that I would never think about burning a flag or hating America.

Or what my wife just said the other day, after we had spent a pleasant evening with good friends..."They are such wonderful people.  I just can't understand how they could vote Republican."

Somehow, we have to get past this radicalization, and get back to looking upon those we disagree with as Americans, too; not enemies of America.

The problem here AL is that thise fringe ideologically possessed people are the ones driving the talking points on both right ad left. I had an insane conversation with a youth theother day. She informed me that IVF is murdering babies or attempting to make designer babies.... she was completely ignorant if the science of biology just the same as a lefty is unaware that men have different chromosomes.  How do you bridge the gap ? When someone has become so ideologically bent it is hard to get in and really is it worth trying ? The answer is yes. But also the bifurcation has made that hard and has made it seem as if there are only two parties and you hve to pick one. Personally I vote more conservative fiscally and traditionaly liberal on social issues when they are actually relevant. We as a society need to stop dragging ideology to th top and focus more on real issues. The government is too big to deal with issues without trying to placate the ideologues from every walk of life. 

[MrGiggles]

8 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

We are being played.  We are being radicalized just as surely as some Middle Eastern young man being radicalized by his religious leader.  We have gotten to the point where we don't actually listen to the viewpoints of those we disagree with, we only listen to what OUR side is telling us about them.  So we believe the worst about the opposition, to the point where, instead of looking upon them simply as people with ideas we don't like, we begin to look upon them as evil and the enemy.  How are we being radicalized like this?  We are able, and willing, to only listen to the "news" channels and talking heads and internet sites that reinforce what we already want to believe; we either never SEE the other side, or we have been conditioned to believe the other side is lying and any evidence that they might be right on something is "fake news".

And yet...when we deal with people of the other political persuasion in person in settings where politics isn't discussed, we always find we have plenty of common interests and beliefs, and we don't look upon each other as enemies...until politics gets brought up.  

Consider racism, for instance.  I'd bet that a lot of people who can be accused of having racist attitudes have an acquaintance or two that are of the race they "don't like", and they like those that they know.  But somehow, the nice guy they know is not like those OTHER people of that race.  I know of several people in the county where I used to live who adamantly deny they are racist, and to prove it they always say they are friends with a couple black guys that live in that county.  Yup.  Those black guys are part of a tiny minority in that county, and they do all they can to fit in with the vast majority.  In other words, they keep their heads down and their mouths shut to get along.  But the guys who are "friends" with them do not equate them with all the inner city black people that they consider to all be lazy, drug-addicted criminals and welfare queens.

A friend of mine who is of the opposite political bent sometimes asks me what I think about some egregious behavior that "my side" has done.  Invariably, it's something that only the radical fringe would ever think about doing.  Like, he might ask, "what do you think about liberals burning the flag and shouting "death to America"?  He is taking the behavior or actions of a tiny minority on the radical fringe, and equating them with everybody on "my side", even though he knows that I would never think about burning a flag or hating America.

Or what my wife just said the other day, after we had spent a pleasant evening with good friends..."They are such wonderful people.  I just can't understand how they could vote Republican."

Somehow, we have to get past this radicalization, and get back to looking upon those we disagree with as Americans, too; not enemies of America.

Social media algorithms are designed to do exactly that. It's scary, the damage it could do in the wrong hands is immense, and likely already happening. The biggest wealth of information that's ever existed is being used to spoon feed propaganda and division.

The most red-blooded Americans I've ever met will happily swipe on Tiktok without a thought in the world about where that data may end up. 

[WestCentralFisher]

The first step is seeing others as humans. There are a heck of a lot of people I disagree with, sometimes to an extent where I don't understand how they believe what they do. But there are really few that I wouldn't sit down with around a campfire and talk to and try to understand where they're coming from.

I have three really good friends in the world, and two of them are the exact opposite of me politically. Does it occasionally make a fishing trip go sideways with an argument? I'd be lying if I said no. But at the end of the day we'd still do anything for each other. I feel like that is getting more and more rare, and it troubles me. 

[Terrierman]

We're not really doomed regardless of what some people want you to believe.  Look around you and be thankful for what you have.  You live in the greatest country in the world, poor Americans are wealthy by world standards, our freedoms are intact and today even the weather is good.  So don't worry, be a good person to your family and others.  You'll feel better for it.

Thinking I may have found a new calling as a life coach/influencer.  Now to convert that calling into cash.....

[WestCentralFisher]

16 minutes ago, Terrierman said:

 today even the weather is good.  

See, though I'm going fishing this weekend on a popular stretch of trout stream, so I was hoping for nasty weather and maybe a nice pop up thunderstorm or six to scare folks off. 

There are limits to my generosity toward my fellow man. 

[ness]

Watching the Olympics the other day the thought came to me that I approach people kinda like the gymnastics judges do execution scoring. Everybody starts with a 10, regardless. Now, if you walk up with prosthetic horns and inked eyeballs, that's an automatic 1 point deduction. But, other than that, it's pretty easy to keep your 10.