with "scare quotes"...
People often ask me if I'm interested in politics. I suppose that answer would be "yes," to the degree that I voraciously read the daily news on the Internet, blogs, and occasional newspapers. But I'm not really that interested in discussing or debating political issues. That's because the major issues of the day -- torture, Iraq, Iran, the President, even fundamental gay rights -- are all pretty one-sided. That is, there's only one side that a reasonable, principled person can take. There is no nuance, no justifiable arguments on both sides, no real debate. Arguing with someone on these issues is like arguing with someone who doesn't believe in evolution (hm, bad example).
So no, I'm not interested in one-sided arguments. I don't find them engaging, just depressing.
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1 comment:
Can't agree with you more. Going to college in the 60's, there were always lots of arguments going on around campus. But you could never really change anyone's mind, so why bother? Reasonable rational people will listen and maybe modify their views, but those are the folks that always seem to already be on the right side of the issues.
People that steadfastly adhere to their views are often admired and even viewed as courageous and heroic, but their fixations often reflect a lack of intellect more than anything else. Our illustrious commander-in-chief is a prime example.
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