I wonder. Have we really become so self-absorbed and contentious as a nation that the skill at which we are most adept is arguing with each other? Are we so set on being right that we don't give a damn what we say or how far we push each other? As Americans, we've always prided ourselves on our individuality. But do we pursue our individuality at the expense of demanding that others surrender theirs? We're willing to honor individuality as long as it doesn't get in our face and directly conflict with our own convictions. The sad truth seems to be that we've come to equate passion with anger and hostility. Should we not be able to express our beliefs, differing as they may be, without diminishing the person who disagrees with us? In other words, it's okay for me to express my individuality, but you'd better not even try, unless yours mirrors mine.
Intolerance is the new standard. We've gone from the days of I'm okay, you're okay to a new generation of I'm okay, but you're only okay if your beliefs align with mine. Otherwise, you're shit. How ludicrous is that? We don't listen, we don't learn, we don't compromise. No, we scream, insult, belittle and generally show our own ignorance when we indulge in this intolerant behavior. It's been my experience, that people who are secure in their beliefs, that is to say, those who fully comprehend and can logically defend their beliefs, don't have to resort to rage and bullying. They don't feel a need to beat their opposers to the ground. My God! They are even willing to engage in respectful and orderly debate.
I read a blog today written by a friend on another site. He made the following statement: Some people have a right to be angry... but some seem to have an almost disembodied free-floating anger/hatred/whatever. He nailed it with that disembodied free-floating anger description.
Thank God that we live in a country that allows us freedom of speech. Thank God that we can go into a forum like this one and express our opinion in whatever manner we think is appropriate. But I'm sad that qualities like mutual respect, graciousness, and simple courtesy seem to have been thrown to the wind as we pound our chest in a display of free-floating anger that we mistake for passion. I would think it would be exhausting to stay at this fevered pitch for days and weeks on end. It's damn sure exhausting to me to read it day after day after day.
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Comments
Very well written/expressed entry my friend. Thanks for saying it.
Wally - So true, Wally, so true. Children throwing tantrums, indeed. With no one around to reign them in.
For some this is the equivalent to "going postal". But, unfortunately, to others this is a catalyst for "going postal". Freedom of expression is a volatile powder keg that we must have.
yes..oh wait, were those rhetorical questions?
"Thank God that we live in a country that allows us freedom of speech."
And based on your composition, if this continues, we won't even have that.
Well done Unbreak :)
Thanks for the wisdom. Rated.
If you read about the 1858 debates between Lincoln and Douglas, you will find bitter disagreement (this was a race for the Senate seat for Illinois, which Lincoln lost.) And, this disagreement was magnified by the local newspapers into terrible intolerance that bordered well onto slander. It was a bitterness that followed Lincoln throughout his presidency.
Nope, this cloud of intolerant disagreement we see today is not new; it is just magnified by our technological capabilities. We do it so much more refined now, with lots of polish. It's still a very sad state. Great post.
Rated!
Marcela
("use it well": Professor Dumbledore to Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling)
Thanks,
Marcela
How do we get around it?
Loved it.
John - Perfect analogy. And, oh so true.
Deborah - I was thinking exactly the same thing when I was writing this.
scanner - I agree - if there is a choice between reporting on level-headed people working together toward change and a boob carrying an assault rifle "because it's his right" to a public meeting that is already primed for violence, the sensationalistic boob at the near-riot will when out every time. As far as I'm concerned, those who promote this kind of rabble-rousing are as guilty as the ones doing it. Yes, members of the media - all media - I am talking to you.
Dan- Good point. It is magnified because of the technology that supports it now. Whereas, it may not be new, it is definitely at a much louder volume. We're like the crowds in the coliseum, watching two gladiators and chanting for blood.
Winda - I try to steer clear of them, too, but I resent the fact that I can't go to the Cover without having to wade through it all. Hence, my comment to scanner about the media.
Marcela - Like you, I feel relieved after reading the comments of so many who feel the same way. This does a lot to restore my faith in humanity. You're right - we should be mindful to make good use of our right to freedom of speech, instead of using it as a tool with which to bludgeon others. I like this: "Use it well, people, use it well."
WAH - Well said! I think you nailed it when you said, "lacking any other real purpose or passion in life, they've invented other things to hold on to and be angry about."
Thank you all - everyone who has commented - for your pearls of wisdom. I can almost take a deep breath now.
Blue Roses - That's exactly what it does - stops all communication. How do we get around it? IMHO, we have to start laying the foundation for communication all over again - one person at a time. We've gone so far, it won't be an easy fix, methinks.
Duane - Awww, thanks. Will you marry me?
Lea - Yes, it has been. Very discouraging.
Blue in TX - I miss it, too. The respectful exchange of ideas is essential to the health of any relationship - and on the citizen to citizen scale, we're in a very unhealthy state at the moment. A nation divided..... Scary.
lets plot, gossip, and single one person out for a public rejection
Fascinating post(s). I sent a PM this morning to a friend. The post was about this very subject as it relates to religion, but it’s applicable either way.
Intolerance is not only bothersome it’s incredibly dangerous (think Nazis, Manifest Destiny, etc..). Intolerance leads to violence through increasing steps of disregard. A lack of mutual understanding creates: Communications Breakdown (we already see this) Alienation (we already see this too) Dehumanization (ditto) Demonization and finally Violence.
It’s getting pretty damned scary out there.
JK - great minds and all that...
Bob - Interesting that you were thinking along the same lines this morning. Yes, it applies to religion, too. It applies across the full spectrum of the human experience and damn right, it is getting scary. You make excellent points about the path we head down when we embrace intolerance. Frightening, indeed.
Rolling - I hope that acknowledging it is a step in the right direction.
GJI - Me too. Then I grew up.
—Melissa
But what motivation do we have to do that when our society encourages and even rewards those behaviors?
Elise - Good question. Maybe both. I think we've mistaken freedom of expression for the permission to shred those we perceive as different from us. We no longer see individuals, we see agendas. I vote for a return to civility.