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| Why the hell does everyone have freaking background music on their damn Xangas?
Who knows. Enjoy anyway.
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| For this entry, I'll address the following from Punkterd:
I. "The bulk of society is going nowhere fast except for a dead-end that it's building it's self. Political beliefs are instilled because what happened in the last election?......nothing.....no better steps to better the way our nation is, just another president, maybe thats the cheap way out.."
II. "Religious...yes, as we all should know America is getting closer and closer to christian fascisim"
Also, the phenom of kids listening to a popular opinion counter to thier intuition is not only accurate but indicative of the population as a whole.
Anyway,
I. After going through denile, anger, embarassment, apathy, and regret after the past election, I must say I still don't understand. Maybe I'm just being young and inexperienced while politics have always been so horrific, but I really didn't want four more years of the chimp. I realized, though, that Kerry and the Dems campaigned horribly and allowed the GOP to railroad them. However, for an incumbent president, all the signs for change was there - highest turn out since '68, a razor thin margain of popular vote, and huge numbers of new-registrations. Which brings me to this - people wanted him out, but more people wanted to be Rid Da Gays and other such partisan bullshit on the right. These people are idiots, but shouldn't be considered a threat on any level, especially on an intellectual one.
Your point about the stagnation is right on, though. We are running away from the industrialized world. Fast.
II. If I am reading the scene correctly, the rebirth of the Religious Right after they (should of) died during the Clinton years is part of a periodic process that follows the liberalism and conservatism see-saw..
Nixon>Carter>Reagan>Clinton>Bush
Con>Lib>Con>Lib
On the other hand, as the world gets more connected and as ideas spread, Christianity on the whole is dying. For example, gays, regardless of what the bible thumpers think, are only going to be a larger precentage of the population as it becomes gradually more tolerant. What rights we are denying them now simply because of their sexual prefrence is horrific, which will one day be realized, further damning the Christian Right movement. If anything, we are seeing a last surge, much like a neurological reaction of a snake as it dies under a jackboot. Whatever the case, it's not exactly moving towards a theocracy, it just appears to be so for the time being. | | |
| All right, let's move this out of comments section.
(Quotations are Punkterd in this post)
"Let's take history for example......Everyone knows or should know that history is one sided, even in the books made to teach us, all the way up to APUS History as Nick stated I should take. I agree I like learning, but learning through ignorance is totally a waste, just stupid."
Honestly, you should try it, or atleast look into it a little more. I'll concede to the point that some things are taken lightly, like our total obliteration of the indegenous population, but overall US History was, for me, one of the most balanced classes I have ever taken. Mrs. Becker not only allows differing opinions, she is politically moderate and open to about anything. However, US History, at this level atleast, is not about politics, so those discussions usually don't get too far. I'll also concede to your point re: victors - history is always written by the winners - but you should really attempt to learn before deciding of it's ignorance. You may be surprised.
"If it's not totally one-sided, then it is made a lie by others (media, and one-sided novels and such) so as to not contridict eachother and bring about questions. Does education give us a way to greater freedom, yes it of course it does. It gives us knowledge of things so that we may think for ourselves, but again pressure to move to the norm is given out in small helpings so that the majority of people conform and listen rather than speak."
I ask of you this: is it instutions created by these people or the people themselves who drift towards a status quo? People feel comfortable when things feel just a litte sad, bad, triumphant, warm and fuzzy, etc. We saw this in the past election and we see it in the popular opinion and current media. People don't ask questions because it interupts their bubble of security:
'The real world shouldn't be so complex, it shouldn't be so full of liars. When the president speaks, he speaks the truth. He wouldn't lie to us, for that matter - he's the president!'
I honestly believe people see things in black white not because it's right, nor because it is indoctrined. People believe it because they would rather concern themselves with themselves. (Yea, I'm a cynic, but I'm trying, I promise.)
"Through time independants have made great discovers and taken themselves away so that they may have their freedom, but saddly this world isn't big enough and they still ran into blockades. The majority of us block them because we are afriad of what may happen."
No sane man would argue this point. Well spoken.
"Yes we have advanced, moved forward, but in what direction? Like AlmightyPigFucker said, Creative man has turned himself into Descrutive Warring Man, or something like that, lol....It seems the more knowledge is gained the more you are exiled. People listen but yet that is just one small conversation that the majority won't remember, or later on one's close to them or with higher statis in society or with greater authoirty wil come along and tell them their view, which isn't right."
Destructive Warring Man Look Great in SUV. Oh, and I have a point, besides that. This bleeds into my above paragraph, so for the sake of brevity I won't repeat it.
"Well I won't use 'whats right' to run my views, I will say whats 'more logical'."
Just want to take this time to state that even if we ever differ in views, your nuanced stance is applaudable. ::applause:: There is nothing more annoying then debating with a shrill harpy and nothing quite as nice as debating with some one humble. Huzzah for you kind sir, it's not a common trait.
"I have great love and great sympathy for all my people, and I want them to know what their life really means and what it really could be before they die. Everyone is just as smart as you and me and can understand just as much and comprehend just as much as me. So that being said, they deserve just as much knwoledge as me and others. They deserve to learn the true right from wrong, the truth, and be able to be free."
What is truth if it is not what we know? Can we know something other than what is "true"? Does one always exist because of the other? Here we will simply differ philosophically, since I am a relativist and you seem to be an absolutist.
"Freedom as I said can not be achieve all the time without taking others freedom away, but if we have the same knowledge , and the same power, then we can achieve great things, putting aside the material posessions....One person can dicover one thing and the others expound upon it. This brings about the subject in others minds that why want to know just as much as your nieghbor, when knowing more than your nieghbor and informing them of something they don't know gives you your sense of knowledge, your smarts"
I've got to tell you that if you have a way to instill into people a sense of curiosity please let me know. 10 years later and I'm still coming up blank.
"....well that in it's self is selfish, and I don't care what people say, selfishness, greed, and all other things of the bad in humans can be overcome, or atleast harnessed. Over thousands of wars, over the thousands of religions, over the thousands of deaths, over the thousands of years, we should finally deserve to be united and to be free, all of us, ever single last one of us deserves what we deserve."
It's crazy, sure, but damn if it isn't elegant. I think I can not adress this here, though, since this is the pinnacle of your stance and a mere paragraph does it no respect. So if you don't mind, I'll save it.
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