Monday, October 12, 2009

I'm thinking of moving...like to another galaxy...

So I'm just going to warn you up front that this is not going to be a humorous blog. Sorry. I'm pretty sure I had a humorous blog in me but then I perused the Internet this morning and got disgusted. I'm so tired of the "hate". When did expressing your opinion become a license to promote hate? When did disagreeing with someone become an excuse for calling them every awful name known to man because they have different views. When did different begin to equal wrong. Unless they went and changed the dictionary when I wasn't looking, people are way out of line. And I'm pretty sick and tired of it.

My dad has always said "opinions are like assholes. everyone has one and most of them stink". Yes, dad is very opinionated. But he never expected us to just blindly go along with his opinion. We were encouraged to form opinions. But then we were encouraged to back them up. If we expressed an opinion, it was immediately followed by a "why". As in "why do you believe that?". And even if he agreed with us, my dad would play devil's advocate and argue the other side. And even though he often got me so frustrated that I'd end up near tears, I understand the point of this exercise. He taught us to fight logically. It's not enough to just decide you support something. It's no good if you can back it up with facts and a rational reason why you believe it. So that you can argue the point without resorting to indiscriminate name calling and mudslinging. Stooping to that is the mark of an unintelligent person. It seems to be all I see these days.

And I'm not going to give you my opinion and I don't want to hear yours. I don't want to argue politics or religion on my blog. If our opinions differ, I'd like to be able to do as my best friend from high school and I do...we agree to disagree. And then we look for compromise. And that is what America needs to be doing. Looking for the compromise. Because neither side is ever going to agree. And all this hatefulness is only weighing us down and making us look like unintelligent fools. I hate that because we have a president of color, everything has become about race. Ridiculous. It's ridiculous for one side to say that if you disagree with him, it's because he's black and therefore you're a racist. Does that mean if you agree with him, it's because he's black, and therefore you are also a racist? Why can't we just look at him as a man? Not a prophet, not a celebrity, not a black man, just a man. And why does each side have to pick the most extreme cases to point out the other side's flaws? Let's just get over the crap and the pettiness and find a point where we can pull this country and the world out of the dismal abyss in which we find ourselves. Start acting like the intelligent independent people we were back when the constitution was written. Instead of like the spoiled, greedy, materialistic people that everyone accuses us of being.

I grew up in a military household and environment where love of country and patriotism were a vital part of life. I grew up hearing revelry and taps played everyday, where we saluted or put our hands over our hearts when the national anthem was played and the flag was a symbol of hope and unity. I have sons who want to join the military and I will gladly stand behind them. I support my country. So why do I feel lately, like it's letting me down?

better for letting that out,
♥Spot

8 comments:

  1. I also find it very interesting that everyone points out that Obama is black, he's also white.

    I like your point - he's really just a man and should be judge on that. If we were all blind, we judge a person on their merits, not their looks.

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  2. I am not American ... I am Canadian, but I couldn't agree more with every word you typed.

    There is so much waste in our society ... so much. Wasted energy on hating, digging up crap, burying crap ... prejudice. It's so sad that a race supposedly so advance is so unabashedly archaic.

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  3. Because neither SIDE is ever going to agree.
    for one SIDE to say that
    And why does each SIDE have to

    flag was a symbol of hope and UNITY.

    Sides and Unity? Can't have both, I vote for Unity!

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  4. Sadly, most people are not aware of what they are doing. I don't even understand why we are called intelligent and thinking being, when we don't do that much.

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  5. Good message Spot. I pretty much agree with what the previous commenters have said, and I shall leave it at that.

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  6. My husband was talking last night about how joining the military was a first step in your career back in the day. How it was a matter of pride and duty and how now no one wants to be part of it. It used to be everyone would support and join causes. Now they have to force or bribe people to. I'm glad you're supportive of your sons joining the military.

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  7. Bravo Spot for putting into words what MANY of us are thinking! Things are certainly getting ugly "out there" and disheartening for those of us who try and keep an optimistic attitude. My hubby and I are on two very different sides of the political spectrum (most of the time) and have spent many an evening in debate but we respect each other enough as individuals to agree to disagree. We also take opportunities to present a different view every chance we get. It's unfortunate that Americans-at-large get so caught up in their personal agendas that true work can't get done. It's aggravating, frustrating, and even humiliating. Thank you for this post!
    Mindy
    www.thesuburbanlife.com
    www.thesuburbanlife.com

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  8. LM~ Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I agree wholeheartedly.

    Danica~ Thanks. It is a waste of time to be so hate-filled. It gets you nowhere and in the end the only person you hurt is yourself. If we could only convince others...

    Heather~ I choose unity too. But I wasn't saying there shouldn't be sides. It wouldn't be a democracy if we didn't have at least two sides. I'm just saying that differing viewpoints are acceptable as long as everyone works toward compromise instead of just bashing each other. The world has lost the art of compromise.

    Walter~ thank you for your visit and your comment. I agree we use very little of our intelligence.

    Mark~ as always, thank you for commenting.

    RH~ thank you as well. And I agree with your husband. And I would support my children no matter what they chose. But I'm proud they're choosing the military. (But also, scared for them).

    Mindy~ we have some spirited discussions at our house along those lines too! But we usually agree on what we'd like the outcome to be...just not necessarily the best way to get there. It is aggravating to see our country so divided and instead of working towards a good outcome, expending the energy to foster hate and make us look dumb in the process. Thanks for your comments!

    ♥Spot

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