Chik-Fil-Anthropy: Moral Outrage and Critical Thinking
With the emergence of the Twittersphere and the swift hand of social media justice, there is probably now an App for Right(eous) Indignation. Type in your lists of hates, likes, preferences, disagrees, desires, and beliefs, and it should be able to tell you who to support, who to fight, where to shop, what to eat, what clothes are allowable, what opinions are acceptable and what clan of subgenre of hipster you might be in. We speak up, we speak loudly, and we often don't even finish thinking it through before we fart our thoughts onto the world. Thankfully, there are paid celebrities whose farts are generally stinkier, and take up more "discussion".
However, the more we opine on every single thing that comes our way, the less we are inclined to use critical thinking. According to statistics on remedial math, writing and reasoning classes for college freshman, it's likely that many of us don't have a big handle on it to begin with. Critical thinking uses a whole set of specific criteria by which to discuss, analyze, approach a subject. One of those things is not our (emotional) opinion. And so moral outrage, righteous indignation and our feelings are not part of critical thinking, or rational analysis.
But who is right? Like the false conflation of religious beliefs to scientific method, and the suggestion that they therefore deserve equal time for "discussion", your moral outrage does not have the same weight as rational scrutiny.
This week, in the US, the current moral outrage is the Chik-Fil-A controversy. It isn't new news, in that Chik-Fil-A has been openly run as a "family centered", Christian corporation all along. People only aware of that because of the recent homophobic commentary by the owner are outraged. Outraged that he said these things, and also outraged that they were previously being duped into enjoying delicious fast food that they now have to boycott. Chik-Fil-A, in running a good business, had not previously posted a "We don't like gays" sign on their door.
Most corporations, including Chik-Fil-A, make decisions every day to maximized their profits by making economic and personnel decisions that many of us will find repugnant. Perhaps we didn't hear about how they wouldn't cover contraceptive services in their family health plans (I don't know if they do or not). I am not familiar with their policies, as I don't eat there and don't know people who work there. If I found that out today, that they either don't provide good health care much at all or that they exclude contraception, I am not sure if I would get outraged or just think, "this is a private business and it has the right to choose its moral conduct".
I am glad, however, that the public reaction has been swift and furious. I am amused that the fRight Wing response has been to have "Chik-Fil-A" Support Day. I am pleased that Jim Henson Company stood up for their beliefs and withdrew collaboration. I am hoping that the Religtables (I mean,Veggie Tales) is not going to step in and Save™ the children patrons of Chik-Fil-A.
I don't shop at Walmart for many reasons, but that doesn't mean I haven't had to or won't in the future. I am glad they provide income opportunity for developmentally disabled people, including health insurance. I shop at Trader Joe's at times, even if I know that they keep their prices down by having mostly part time staff and thus do not have to cover the human resources costs of a full service market like Safeway. I buy things at Target because it is convenient and affordable. The money I save from there can now be spent supporting a local coffee shop (when I have a choice) or filling the tip jar of my favorite baristas at Starbucks. I recently switched to buying gas and some organic groceries at Costco because it is smart to save money when I can. I not only can't get to the Farmer's market on their schedule, but I can't always afford to when I can. It's increasingly clear that is what is good for the economy is bad for the people. What's good for people is rough on the economy. I don't work for the economy, I work for me.
I know that having a strong opinion may be about the only thing people feel they can have control of anymore, though I begin to wonder if that is just another ploy to make us feel enfranchised. Voting hasn't worked out well for either side, because someone else always gets their way. Our very leaders of this country have no obligation to use rational analysis, critical thinking or scientific method when analyzing any of the social, economic or scientific data that comes across their desk. They just need a strong opinion, backed in feelings and stoked by righteous indignation to get a law passed or a bill blocked. The idea we should follow the examples of other countries whose systems work better than ours (for some things) is considered an insult. I am beginning to wonder how many of us even form our own strong opinions anymore, between the onslaught of news that is no longer journalism, media that is clearly biased and partial, and social media that literally fills our inboxes with the opinion du jour.
I am outraged that nobody wants to get along. Well, they might, if they shut their trigger fingers off a minute and promoted conversation over conflict. If I think of the examples to suggest, I start to run out of ideas. Jon Stewart is clear that he is a comedian and that he is not impartial, even if he and Stephen Colbert are my favorite "news" sources. It's impossible to not know what the "news" is, but getting a good take on what I should think about it is more and more difficult.
Personally, I don't care if the owner of Chik-Fil-A is a homophobe. I don't care if he takes his money and donates it to pro-Christian-marriage causes. I don't support that, and I take my money elsewhere, but it's not like they were going to get it anyway. The food is just not that good. I understand they are a great company to work for and have an outstanding business model that many other companies could learn from. I hope that there is no open or hidden discrimination against employees or patrons. I am glad that they manage to keep people employed in a rough economic time. I am glad that we are having this discussion, in the public sphere, yet again, that forces us to examine our beliefs, behavior and politics.
What comes after righteous indignation? We express our discontent or outrage, we pull our money out of patronage or advertising, and then we forget. It would be great to see a place where all this anger fuels the critical thinking we need to put in place better solutions to universal needs- food, housing, health care and education. I am pretty sure we can all agree that we are far short of solutions on any of those because we are stuck in the weeds of our own indignation.
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Comments
Having researched this for a post a while back, well before the recent eruption, I did find that the company
. sells franchises only to those who sign documents promising to adhere to a religious set of doctrines. There's nothing illegal about that.
. funds at least one 'think-tamk' that hosts explicitly anti-homosexual and misogynistic seminars and conventions.
Needless to say, people will decide whether or not that's worth the hoopla (beyond personal purchasing decision-making).
I welcome your writing abt this issue from a rationalist perspective, Ori.
Rated.
Same-sex marriages were legally done in California. That's an objective fact. There are now families built on that foundation.
When someone speaks from a seat of power as the head of corporation in a way that denigrates existing legal marriages, that is a direct attack against real families. It like someone calling me a "bastard" because he doesn't accept the legitimacy of my parents' marriage for some self-styled reason of his own. Nonsense.
I'll never eat there because the deep-fried-everything food is too fatty fah mah delicate constitution anyway. Nothing to do with this issue.
We I DO. Especially when he expresses his homophobia buy putting his company's money where his mouth is and financially supports hate groups while spouting BS about believing biblical principles, that include the MURDER of gays and lesbians.
So you go ahead and enjoy our white, middle class, hardly discriminated against "neutrality" and "share" YOUR BS about that nasty old "emotional indignation". Enjoy your condescension and your "I'm not emotionally involved" chicken sandwich (on white bread no doubt.).
I am going to continue to argue, fight and stand up for what's right with every bit of emotional indignation I can muster because they are MY rights and MY life. If that displeases your or makes your "neutral lil world" uncomfortable, I'd suggest getting a big bag of "deal with its!".
Being right of center on most issues, I have been forced to decide if I should 'support' the works of artists that would have absolute contempt for me and my like minded middle class brethren. In my opinion Bruce Springsteen says some incredibly ignorant things yet, I have been appreciating his talent (and thoughts) since I wjas a pre-teen. Matt Damon in my view is a pompous ass yet, I enjoy many of his movies-(Adjustment Bureau was painful). We must be able to put things in a compartment in order to co-exist.
Conservatives have to do this or risk never being entertained at all. Your side may get there to some day after all -be it by intelligent design or some other means. :->
Personally, I think educating people as to why they might need to learn the difference between their belief, an informed opinion and rational discussion of "rights" is an important part of democracy.
Thanks for coming by and weighing in.
Jay- thanks for taking the time to visit, read, comment on a post that is probably not "your take" on the controversy. As you noted (I think you did, anyhow), there is a point where critical thinking needs to take place in balancing social ideas and coexisting.
And, sometimes it seems as though those of us who claim to be liberal have forgotten the tenet of pluralism--perhaps in response to the outright dogmatism we encounter on a daily basis.
But the main thing is as you have so eloquently put it. We have to balance our beliefs with economic necessity and our choices with the need for expediency.
Seems to me that this has been the case for a few thousand years in different shapes and forms.
i've used my critical thinking skills to determine that i will ALWAYS speak up against him, the bigoted and hateful organizations he supports, and anyone else who stands in my way. i won't settle for getting along just so others are more comfortable with the world around them. at what point do we stop excusing hate speech as free speech? would you feel the same if people were trying to limit your civil rights or discussing daily how heterosexuals were the downfall of civilization? it's easy to tell others to stop their "righteous indignation" when you aren't the one with a target on your back.
Ex. Will I Am, a rapper, donates millions to charitable organizations and is creating STEM centers around the world. Ted Nugent, whom I used to like until I went to a concert, well, we've heard him on the news lately. Those two have totally switched places on my "like" meter.
It's all buried in the details.
Walter-thanks for visiting with an open mind and finding something you didn't expect.
Is it now Un-American to have traditional Christian values in this country? If the homosexual agenda wants to throw down that gauntlet, it had better be prepared for the consequences.
I think America is a better place with the advances made of late but, if you want to destroy a man whom by all accounts has been an incredibly decent person because he is a traditional Christian then, you become that which you profess to despise.
I do think
I do think
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/30/chick-fil-a-brand-approval-rating-anti-gay-controversy_n_1719359.html
P.S. and I thank you for yours!
Will the same tolerance be there for a traditional Christian,Muslim or Jew? Do not demand that which you cannot give.
Cranky- exactly. I wonder how many single men, straight or gay, quit their jobs or protested against corporations that didn't give women the right to get prescription contraception for contraceptive purposes under their health care coverage? I am suspecting exactly none. How many of them turned down scholarships or declined acceptance to Universities that would have been funded by their Federal student loans, which claim religious exemption for supporting their employees constitutional equality? Hmmm. The CEO comes across as a smug man, and he is, he's very successful, and he's made a lot of people rich. Donald Trump is no better, yet people still go to his casinos and hotels, watch his TV show.
Personally, I worked at GE for over 11 years. I left finally when I realized they were selling parts to Iran that were used to make road side bombs. I did not quit immediately but, I began my search.
Tough to work for a company that profits from a neighbors son getting blown apart and sleep at night.
I had not heard of the fast food chain in question nor knew what waffle fries were until recently. Then I wondered what ever happened to good old home cooking? I got the impression that much of the population seek such places and then others when they re outraged by the previous one's policy. That kind of reactive living does not hold with me. I'd rather be in control of what I eat, how it's prepared, and what goes into it. That's what I call proactive living and I don't need to garner sympathy for my views from others to justify my actions. And if, once in a blue moon, I may have to indulge in one of those "immoral" places due to travel or inconvenience, so be it! That is life and I know I live it responsibly.
Thank you for providing this forum and responding to comments. I enjoyed following the discussion, as I did the one on Lezlie's "We the People" post.
Rated.♥
Just saw the EP! Brava, well deserved!
No, you don't need a big handle to begin with.
I cannot tell the difference between emotional thinking and rational thinking.
It's all blood and the incidental vessels it finds in its circulation.
Personally I prefer a view on say something like drone's which is based on empathic reasoning, instead of a rational well-argued vision of say the talking head Tom Friedman who knows the specific criteria by which to discuss, analyze, approach a subject.
Or, to say it more bluntly, I prefer the farts of Safe_Bet's Amy far above the chilly signature of Obama under a license to kill.
Maybe I should read the post before commenting??
How soon we forget....
The question seems to be: can you think of farts which make it possible to convince Obama (or American's herald Friedman) not to drench in blood every suspected Pakistani village.
The problem is: there is no set of specific criteria by which to discuss, analyze, approach a subject, which enables you to change the mind of hawks or the not so noble Nobel Obama.
Mark Twain said something like: do not discuss with an idiot at his level - you'll lose, he's more experienced.
The same is true in handling Obama/Friedman - or, the subject here, the farts of the owners of Chik-Fil-A: discussing at "their level" will bring you down.
Touche - One less sandwich sold = 1 less quanta of power. I can live with that.
Tr ig- thing is, the company has always been proChristian and anti-gay. It's only that the owner admitted in an interview that he has always supported traditional marriage, including monogamy, that there is a firestorm. I'd be impressed if your son went there to eat, and held a sign up that said "I am for gay marriage" while he ate there.
Eljekar- true enough, though they mean two different things. The same moral outrage is enjoyed by both sides, though neither side has stopped war. Should we vote for Obama, who will still use drones, or Romney, who will also use drones and profit from selling them to the US Govt?
Thanks Kate.
Believing that Marriage is between a man and a woman does not make you anti-homosexual, it makes you anti-gay marriage. There are many gays in that camp.
Anyway, I read-- your Spock like logic works to some degree Or'ki Bowl.
Could he be bigger? Maybe, but he does what he believes. He also asks that people who want to be part of his organization agree to go along with his way of doing things. He is giving people great a opportunity. If they disagree with his way of doing things they can take their money and invest it into something else. You don't have to be associated with him, or his company and he has the same right.
"I am pleased that Jim Henson Company stood up for their beliefs "
I don't know right now what term to use to describe your use of this statement. You are glad that the Jim Henson company follows their beliefs but you mock Chik-Fil-A for following theirs. Do you not see a problem in that?
He has a belief. So do you and all those who are out to boycott him. They don't have to agree. However, if you want me to respect your thoughts on LGBT shouldn't you respect mine? Some of those who have replied don't seem to think so.
"Emotions (or the self system) drive almost everything we do. Antonio Damasio (2005) , a University of Iowa neurologist, believes that emotions are the key element in decision making and learning, and central to the process of rational thought. When patients of his have lost the regions of their brain (such as through the removal of a tumor) that allow them to experience emotions, their decision making ability goes completely haywire. Their intelligence can be working perfectly, but without emotions to guide one's intelligence, logical decisions cannot be made. "
you cannot simply discount emotional intelligence as part of the equation here, for to do so dishonors the many important changes in our history that were derived from emotional responses to injustice.
"We speak up, we speak loudly, and we often don't even finish thinking it through before
we fart our thoughts onto the world.
Thankfully, there are paid celebrities
whose farts are generally stinkier,
and take up more "discussion".
i cannot remember a single thought i ever had that
was not fed
to me by someone more beautiful than me,
a celebrity..
Like old Nietzsche, who said, "i philosophize with a hammer!"
To break up old encrustations of thought.
the stuff that cause s those indignations...
"What comes after righteous indignation? We express...
It would be great to see a place
where all this anger fuels
the critical thinking
we need
to put in place better solutions
to universal needs-"
it is a difficult thing to ask of a person, to think universally
the universe: big and fulla scary people and odd rules of nature.....
.
Now that he or they have been "punished", what will happen? The critical thinking part is not that emotions are not important, but after the villagers burn down the castle, will they go out and teach homophobic children of Chick-Fil-A franchise owners that there is no gay agenda to destroy their world? How do they do this? The emotional anger and righteous indignation are worth nothing if all they do is get people to stop eating there for 2 weeks. It is worth everything if someone who is against gay marriage equality realizes that gay people, and their friends and family, demand and expect equal rights. Right now, it has stirred a whole bunch of indifferent people into going to Chick-Fil-A to show how pro Christian they are.
Who wins?
Catnlion-- he is fine to stand up for what he believes. He did, and the public let him know they find his beliefs deplorable and don't want to support his business anymore. I personally think that the Jim Henson company is a little late in the game, since their policy against diversity has been well known for a long time and they should have done more research before signing on. Kind of like all the Susan G Komen bullshit earlier this year, it was a bad company for a long time.
It was only when black people got angry and stood their ground that they were entitled to stand on a piece of ground they could call their own. It was only when gay men fought back at Stonewall that they started feeling some respect for themselves. And it's only been the people that stand against the Westboro Baptist Church that have kept them partially at bay.
You want to see this anger made useful? That would require a political figure who wants to be angry, finds the need to be angry. Obama is too nice a man to get angry. Romney tries to get angry, but he's more surly than angry, and he's never angry at a cause - except maybe people not licking his boots.
I don't think we all need to get along. I do think we need to accept that even if we don't get along, we needn't kill, assault, humiliate, etc. Can you imagine if the CEO of Chick-Fil-A had said he was a gay, and married, and the anti-gay crowd twittered him into silence, and then suggested we destroy his business? Wait, that is the kind of mentality we are trying to get away from. Surely, no one has a platform of gay marriage only (I don't think, correct me on that if there is one), so we can't really make a 100% comparison. Yet, we rarely ever really can. What if we found out he used his homophobic funded rants to build water wells in impoverished villages in the developing world? Would we mail our money to them directly, to replace his? Or would we be better to show how important it is to not fight intolerance with more intolerance, and educate as to why hatred belittles us all? Anger is a great catalyst, if you have the proper fuel and you know what kind of blaze you are trying to set.
Rated.
Homosexuality, like everything, is a product of evolution ... the most natural thing in the world and part of so much of nature, and so much of human nature, that to be a lying, credulous and imbecilic hater who wants to keep a grieving spouse out of the hospital while her wife has cancer makes ANYONE who has ANYTHING to say about it to the contrary a, well, I won't say it but instead quote Honest Abe, "Anyone for Slavery ought to have it practiced on them." It seems impossible, but I hope the Big Chick someday is kept from his family in a time of need due to pure, unadulterated and truly ignorant HATE ... can you imagine his outrage? Every Gay person can.
Auwe (Alas)
As for myself, I've never heard of "Chick-Fil-A" (it sounds greasy and nasty), but will certainly give it a wide berth should I ever come across one of its outlets.
Rated for getting the discussion going.
So, of course people are promoting boycotts. Which, historically, are not effective. But it makes people feel as if they're doing something, which is good enough for them. To do anything effective, that would really send a message to the company, would require something like the Aurora, Colorado solution.
All you can do, all I will do, is say "I don't like Chick-Fil-A and what they're doing, and I won't eat there again." And not even say it publicly, but just do it privately and quietly. But private and quiet aren't good enough for some people. They believe in an organized boycott or pickets or some useless nonsense like that.
I'm currently in a training class for a new job. At lunch, some guys mentioned going to Chick-Fil-A. A couple of ladies told them not to go there, and told them why. After some back-and-forth, slowly growing angrier, the class instructor - a lot cooler head - said, "We're going to end that discussion now." He was wise. Few other people are, especially here and now.
We can feel bad for those that ache to be in a more recognized union but, also not want it to be marriage. Thousands of years of civilization that never met and all recognized marriage as the union of a man and a woman. In the last ten years that has been challenged and if you do not conform immediately to that enlightened conclusion you are a bigot?
I have a friend who happens to be happily gay (a gay gay man) and he finds this battle crazy "The best thing about being gay was no marriage and I didn't have to go die in some desert somewhere halfway across the damn planet!"
Is he a bigot ? Is he a sellout because he will still eat at Chick-a-fil? Can he believe in Christian Values and still be Gay? Can he think his dad an amazing man for loving and supporting him even though he could not accept his lifestyle? He loved hiim even more.
You call it hateful yet, there is no hate towards gays from many take my position.
He is a businessman that has stores in malls and he is closed on Sundays, he might not be your cup of tea but, he is an ethical business man in a time of corporate greed-does that not count for something?
It's hard to imagine a clearer violation of First Amendment rights. "
This is a first amendment issue and it's illegal for these mayors to come out and block anybody's business due to the owners opinions. You can support them now but then can not wrap yourself in the first amendment if somebody comes after your business due to your opinion.
I'm totally agnostic on the subject of gay marriage, because I figure it is none of my business. I believe the same goes for Mr. Cathy - what's it to him if gay people wish to have the same rights as straight people? (This also applies to your happily gay friend, who is merely stating his personal view). In my opinion, respect for other people's life choices is part of what it takes to be regarded as an "ethical businessman." Since Mr. Cathy's business sounds hateful, and he uses his profits to finance his hateful activities, I will spend my money at others that respect human beings for what they are. Simple as that.
The same worldview which says I am entitled to my opinion, regardless how hateful, hurtful or ill-informed it might be, and you are an anti-Christian (or anti-conservative) bigot for even challenging me on it in what we used to call a "debate," is the same mentality that conflates "fact" with "opinion" because somehow the manipulators at Fox News have convinced us we all have a constitutional right to be stupid.
My wife and I just attended the wedding of a friend who is gay and so I may be a little more sensitive to this than than usual, but I find it remarkable that so many conservatives and fundamentalists refuse to see the issue as being Dan Cathy's remarks and political activity itself and the impact they have on the joy I saw this weekend, but instead see it entirely as a matter of "free speech" and the supposed attempt by liberals to take that right away by merely criticizing him or threatening to boycott his business. There is no censorship here, merely justifiable outrage when Cathy says that God will punish this nation for "shaking its fist" at Him and His definition of marriage.
The fact that Cathy was "merely expressing his opinion" is severed entirely from the reality that Cathy would if he could -- and is actively trying to -- take away people's rights to marry their love one. But that reality is of no account. The fact that there are some who would prevent Cathy from running other people's lives by threatening to make him put his money where his mouth is in a possible boycott seems to be all that matters to them.
However.. as to it being a private business with the right to choose their approach on public matters.. no, I can't go there. They are perhaps privately owned - but they are a public business, they cater to the public - not to any one singular segment of that public. What those owners do with their profits is their business, if they choose to support some of the intolerant activities our society is practicing, well unfortunately that's part of their rights as Americans as well. But they are a public business, they take GLBT money without complaint, they'd d*mn well better act as appreciative of that portion of their customer base as they do toward any other.
If the man had simply stated his personal beliefs as his own, that might have been one thing - everyone is entitled to believe as they will. But he was intentionally inflammatory in both his wording and meaning and using his public business platform to delineate the segments of that public that he personally finds acceptable - or not - and clearly indicating that he finds the acceptance of the segments of the public that he finds unacceptable is a contributing factor to the ruination of this country.
His bigotry is his personal right I suppose - but any form of bigotry is also the number one contributor to the ruination of this country's supposed 'values', over and above all else.
Personally I hope that this results in a major fall off for both him and his share holders (if there are any) in the pocket book. At the very least I hope that the bad odor lingers.. and I hope that his (perhaps formerly) happy employees give thought to their own personal values and act accordingly as they can.
Rated for an attempted calm in the eye of the storm.
As you say so well, what we are outraged about today seems to be quickly replaced by the new fad-rage of tomorrow. We are also swept away by popular dissent, a kind of cyber mob mentality. Our collective memories are rather short.
The fact is, righteous indignation is alot more dramatic and entertaining than critical thinking - and that's why most of us will be content to jump up and down and wave our flag of the day rather than logically, intelligently disagree, and move toward a thoughtful resolution.
Thank you for a thought provoking essay - I've returnd here about four times in the last day or so reading and re-reading.
The answers are affirming one's being and recognizing the right of others (all others- even one's children) to have choices, to both succeed and fail. Too often we locked into outcomes- winners and losers vs. growth and change.
Walmart? Hell-no. But tell me of the merits of K-Mart or Target, while you're at it. Gentleness is the key to both creating an atmosphere of engagement and emotional availability. Get good sleep- (most Americans are sleep deprived) have a spiritual practice- drink plenty of water, and hold hands with others and dig in the dirt every once in a while...And let the Chik-Fil-A's and their brood do their thing...
may the capitalist pigs owners of chik-fil-a succumb to bird flu, then swine flu, then to the OWS rioters.
"All you can do, all I will do, is say "I don't like Chick-Fil-A and what they're doing, and I won't eat there again." And not even say it publicly, but just do it privately and quietly. But private and quiet aren't good enough for some people. They believe in an organized boycott or pickets or some useless nonsense like that."
Doing so is what makes little people feel good and as if they are doing something great, whereas it makes no difference at all. Think of all the companies that have gotten away by unethical practices and still are in business. Fads are just that.
my vote is not gonna be missed, that is why i am gonna do it.
we are gonna overwhelmingly go for Obama.
so what?
so what, is that my vote doesnt count.
i wanna vote on some kinda closely contested issue, like
the need for Blue in the visual field of the child.
or , well, this:
"Doing so is what makes little people feel good
and as if they are doing something great,
whereas it makes no difference at all.
Think of all the companies that have gotten away
by unethical practices and still are in business.
Fads are just that."
i enjoy fads, like pizza and computers.
i as a researching kinda kid, say, well, you nailed that one.
u,the one who says
"The idea we should follow
the examples of other countries
whose systems work better than ours
(for some things) is considered an insult.
I am beginning to wonder
how many of us even form our own strong opinions
anymore, between the onslaught of news that is no longer journalism,
media that is clearly biased and partial,
and social media that literally
fills our inboxes with the opinion du jour. "
me too . i wonder that kinda stuff too!
my vote is not gonna be missed, that is why i am gonna do it.
we are gonna overwhelmingly go for Obama.
so what?
so what, is that my vote doesnt count.
i wanna vote on some kinda closely contested issue, like
the need for Blue in the visual field of the child.
or , well, this:
"Doing so is what makes little people feel good
and as if they are doing something great,
whereas it makes no difference at all.
Think of all the companies that have gotten away
by unethical practices and still are in business.
Fads are just that."
i enjoy fads, like pizza and computers.
i as a researching kinda kid, say, well, you nailed that one.
u,the one who says
"The idea we should follow
the examples of other countries
whose systems work better than ours
(for some things) is considered an insult.
I am beginning to wonder
how many of us even form our own strong opinions
anymore, between the onslaught of news that is no longer journalism,
media that is clearly biased and partial,
and social media that literally
fills our inboxes with the opinion du jour. "
me too . i wonder that kinda stuff too!
But after reading it several more times, I'm going to stick with "brilliant" because it means "distinguished by unusual mental keenness or alertness" - which characterizes your piece. I came to that conclusion by thinking about it critically and what you say is true. "Moral outrage does not have the same weight of rational scrutiny." No, it doesn't and moral outrage that's not based on rational scrutiny can be dangerously hollow. Not so long ago it was considered terribly rude to be loud and opinionated. Now the pendulum has swung the other way and I don't know if that's a good thing.
Being able to think critically is absolutely essential to a healthy society but we seem to be getting stuck in the "weeds of our own indignation" and even worse, no one seems to notice because we're too busy trying to make ourselves heard. The fact that critical thinking is something that can be taught, but isn't, is even more troublesome because it's like muscle - if you don't use it you lose it.
Now for another opinion: your piece belongs on the op-ed page of the country's major newspapers.
Funny thing about your outrage over people not getting along. It is precisely this that made Obama's reputation, where he made a very famous speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in which he refused to demonize the denizens of Red States. Unfortunately, once he got elected, he had no idea that they were perfectly willing to demonize him anyway and that they wouldn't stop, no matter what he did, because it had nothing to do with what he did but about who he wasn't: Republican.
I get lots of outraged chain e-mails. I go to Snopes, where maybe 3/4 of them are proved wrong - even the ones that provide a link to the Snopes post about them! - then I pass that information back up the line. "No, guys, this wasn't feasible to begin with, so I checked it out, and there's a reason I didn't find it feasible: It's not true." Invariably a failure of critical thinking.
Kosher- I don't expect people to like everyone, or even get along. I am really disgusted that people choose to dislike so many and go out of their way to try to make life more difficult for others. Why is everything we want to do to better our own lives so damn difficult to do in this country? Education, health care, reasonable food, safe and affordable housing? Why do we grow up believing we are pitted against each other for survival, when clearly, we have more than enough for everyone to do better and still have wealthy people who have too much? That is my moral outrage. Although, in applying critical thinking to it, I recognize that in order to change people's minds about something, I have to put in a better belief for them to choose. Not a fake belief, like in politics, but a better attitude.
I lose sleep trying to get my mind to your critical level.
And now, or but now, I'm sick of this whole thing Dr..
Freaks me, apparently, and what else matters but me? that we as a society, apparently are evolving in reverse.
" If a person accepts absolutely the authority of his religious texts no critical thinking..."
That's why it's called faith!
What would all you say to this:
The Coalition of African American Pastors (CAAP) announced at the National Press Club on Tuesday that the grassroots group - comprised of the more than 3,000 members - is launching a national campaign to support marriage between one man and one woman and to oppose the Obama administration’s efforts to advance same-sex marriage...
“The time has come for a broad-based assault against the power that be that wants to change our culture to one of men marrying men and women marrying women,” CAAP President William Owens said at the press conference, held to announce the Marriage Mandate campaign, which includes a petition seeking 100,000 signatures pledging support for traditional marriage.
“Mr. President, I’m not going to stand with you, and there are thousands of others across this country that are not going to stand with you with this foolishness,” Owens said.
In a press release announcing the campaign, Owens encouraged black pastors and the black community to “withdraw their support for [Obama].”
I will be waiting impatiently for your outrage!!!
This kind of response to his thoughts and his personal actions - not corporate actions - means additional polarization. Is the next step in this to query the ideas and gift-giving of every corporation bigwig and the boycott them? Will you then stop talking to friends or relatives who have views that you don't agree with? How does this polarization help anything?
In their comments, people here have said how they are 'forced' by economics or convenience to shop at or do business with companies where the actual corporate policies are harmful, yet they are willing to boycott CF because it is easy and doesn't require any personal sacrifice.
I won't go to CF any more than I did before but that doesn't mean that I think this boycott is as any more than a convenient and painless way to express a popular view.
But here's the thing; we all live in a world where people wear their values on their sleeves like some sort of silly badge of honor; we’re taught from birth that foundless and meaningless values are of utmost importance, even beyond that of seeking true, beneficial and meaningful intelligence.
With this fallacious sense of bravado, we’re indoctrinated from day one with these phony values along with some crazy, extreme nationalistic ideal that this country is the greatest thing since “God created the heavens and the Earth.”
And we’ll take it all to our collective grave of ignorance, just like those fundie Muslims whom the fundie Christians have somehow, inexplicably determined to be their mortal enemies, get this; “for blindly and irrationally believing that they are the chosen ones.”
Until we stop giving any of them and their boisterous, annoying sermonizing credence by reactionary responses when it matters not, they, like an obnoxious kid, will never go away and shut up.
Let them eat chicken – it matters not! Let them make fools of themselves - it matters not!
Tomorrow's Friday - eat some fish instead and revel in some really moronic ideals.
So by extension, genocide, infanticide, incest, rape, murder and slavery are “traditional Christian Values”? Oh, that’s correct -- they certainly are. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings …
Have you ever read the Bible?
Some people are exposed mostly to the hate radio and hard right-wing newspapers in small towns across the country promoted by very wealthy families (usually of vast mineral wealth like the Koch family and the Stephens family; and many belonging to ALEC Inc.). This oligarchy not only seeks to control the media universe, but legislation as well, from municipal to the federal levels. And don’t get me started on the FOX network.
These wealthy (mostly) Republicans are themselves very well educated and don't really buy what they are selling. Their agendas are based on greed and a very cynical world view.
Perhaps one place to start would be to support B Corporations.
Give a B-sting to the fRight-wing :-D
http://www.bcorporation.net/community/search
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