lpnmajor wrote:
The other idea that prevents discourse, is a pathological assertion of one's own correctness. Failing to present cogent arguments to bolster one's own viewpoint, those afflicted will resort to attempting the "guilt tripping" of detractors, for having the temerity to disagree. Arrogance = ignorance.
I'm afraid you suffer the same fateful defect.
My reflection of people's opinion usually results with being lobbed with shit from pointless websites that claim that they provide the only news.
My father provides the same information with absolutely no idea that such news is as valuable as a UFO sighting or Bigfoot.
I have personal experience. And I can name, names. Instead, I get to hear from some clown that talked to there sister's, cousin's brother-in-law about facts. There are ways to study facts, like being there and understanding them.
As a for instance, my parents totally buy into the notion that marijuana usage leads to harder drugs. If that were true (regardless of the dangers of using heroin) wouldn't the numbers of people using Marijuana either be equal to the number of heroin users or less the number of users? And yet it isn't: Marijuana users outweigh heroin users by 50 to 1. And yet, that doesn't matter because I'm getting that information from the government that we don't agree with. Hmmm, the CDC has nothing to hide and this information goes back 30 years, through many different administrations. And yet, we are to believe that all of sudden the last 6 years of data is wrong.
People deposit misinformation without really understanding who gets affected by that...and what do we get in return: retribution from the masses. Isn't it ridiculous that if you go to vote that you aren't expected to provide identification? Isn't that a more important issue than welfare, which in addition to SSA benefits are paid for out of the tax collection. I don't want to get into an argument, but there are all kinds of reasons that people find themselves needy and I see it every day because I work for a variety of charity organizations.
If I sound condescending: it is because I do know what I'm talking about. I don't listen to a 5th party acquaintance that has watered down the facts the way they "see" them. People believe what they want to believe based on racism, and one bad experience they had in their childhood. Or fears created by society. Take Trayvon Martin, whether he's guilty of anything, he's dead and his murder (yes, murder) is being justified by a law written to protect gun ownership. Who benefits from that? Gun makers: right? I believe that Trayvon was let down by society and he was waiting for an opportunity to proceed into a criminal career-no argument there. If you dig a little further a lot of adults let him down. He was lashing out the only way he knew and we become so polarized as a society we can't even look at the facts, because apparently those fact are too ugly.