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Title: You are not what you consume, wear, drive or vote for.
Source:
Myself
URL Source: [None]
Published: Nov 4, 2008
Author: Elliott Jackalope
Post Date: 2008-11-04 05:24:30 by Elliott Jackalope
Keywords: Politics, Election, Candidates
Views: 173
Comments: 12
One of the more disturbing trends I've seen in our society is the tendency of people to pigeonhole others based upon very superficial things. Often people will come to major conclusions about others based solely on the make and model of car that they drive, or the clothes they wear, or the brand of beer they drink. What's worse, many people not only accept that concept, they actively encourage it by identifying with their favorite brands, proudly wearing corporate logos on their clothing as they shuffle mindlessly through the malls, looking for more things to consume in an attempt to give their lives meaning. Here's the problem: People are much more than just the products they consume, the music they listen to, the clothing they wear, the cars they drive or the ideologies they embrace. People are human beings, oftentimes complex, multifaceted, even self-contradictory. Nobody is perfect, and nobody ever will be. Learning to understand these differences goes a long way towards learning to appreciate others as being three-dimensional human beings, with good points and bad points, virtues and flaws. Refusing to understand these differences leads to thinking of others as mere objects, two-dimensional things that are either "good" or "bad", "smart" or "stupid", "virtuous" or "evil". The election being held today has led to some very extreme and often quite bitter feelings among many people. Some are saying things like "if you vote for candidate 'x', then you are a (insert expletive or derogatory comment here)". But that's not how things really work in the real world. Often people who vote for one candidate over another have multiple reasons for casting their vote, sometimes positive, sometimes negative. Some may choose to vote for one candidate or party because they honestly believe in that party's platform or ideals, however accurate or misguided that belief may be. Some may choose to vote for one candidate and/or their party over another not because they identify with or even like that party, but because they want to punish the other party in the only way they're allowed to do so. Some may choose to vote one way over the other simply because their friends and/or family are voting that way. Some may choose to vote for third parties. Regardless of how people choose to vote and what reasons they have, those decisions are quite often much more complex than others may give credit for. But here's the problem with making accusations against those who profess support for a candidate you may not like or agree with: If you choose to say "You voted for candidate 'y' instead of candidate 'z', and therefore you are a (insert derogatory term here)", then you are not really making a case as to the personality or character of that person, you are actually only reflecting your own shallowness and willingness to pigeonhole people for superficial reasons. It's an unfortunate tendency that anyone can fall into, but it's also something we can face up to and choose to not do. No matter who wins today, or what party prevails in various contests, we're still going to be living in a nation that has profound and deeply troubling problems. Regardless of what party wins, or who is in what offices, we are still going to have a nation where a very few very wealthy and well connected individuals will have profound influence over our government, society and economy, and in many ways over our very lives and livelihoods. The resulting corruption, cynicism and damage to our nation will proceed apace, and it won't matter what promises have been made by various politicians because that isn't going to change anytime soon. No matter how "conservative" or "liberal" or "statist" or "libertarian" you may be, this is a real problem that is causing all of us real pain in our daily lives. Before we succumb to the temptation to attack each other out of anger and frustration, no matter how justified that anger may be, I suggest that it would be a lot more productive to instead take a moment to think of the other people here as human beings worthy of being treated with a modicum of respect and decency, and to try to understand their viewpoints and why they have them instead of violently reacting to their viewpoints and then concluding that they're somehow defective, depraved or evil. Pointing fingers at each other and name-calling isn't going to solve these problems. Seeking pat answers and spiffy one-liners and witty put-downs isn't going to solve anything either. Instead of attacking each other with increasingly venomous and hateful accusations, perhaps we'd all be better served by talking about what ideals we have in common, what hopes we have for our future, what problems we feel need to be addressed, and what methods we might come up with to accomplish those ends. Either that, or risk becoming so polarized that we eventually end up at each other's throats and destroying ourselves while the real owners of this country sit back and laugh their butts off at us.
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#1. To: Elliott Jackalope, jethro tull, christine, lodwick, all (#0)
My personal opinion is that in your own way you are trying to justify...VOTING... Whether I am right or wrong does not matter. You did well in touching on bits and pieces of the voting process. Had you prefaced your effort with the major truth that...GOVERNMENT IS THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, NOT ITS SERVANT...that would have removed any possible perceived personal bias.
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." - George Washington. Simply asserting that "Government is the enemy" is, in my opinion, incorrect. Living without any government whatsoever would be somewhat akin to choosing to live without fire. Personally, I like things like cooked food and heated water and furnaces and fireplaces. Living without those things would be a pretty lousy way to live. So, government is indeed like fire. We can choose to master it, or we can choose to have it master us. We can choose to use it intelligently, or we can choose to let it run wild and consume everything we care about. That's my take on it anyways.
#2. To: Cynicom (#1)
 | Gold and silver are REAL money, paper is but a promise. |
#3. To: Elliott Jackalope, jethro tull, christine, all (#2)
That would be covered under ...nihilism... "We can choose to master it, or we can choose to have it master us". We have already chosen, it has mastered us...Therein lies the need for Americans to recognize that ...this government is our enemy...to do otherwise is to move in lockstep as programmed.
"Living without any government"
#4. To: Elliott Jackalope (#0) (Edited)
We have political anarchy. When the government becomes a slave master to one class for the purpose of advancing another you already have political anarchy. One PARTY with two factions IS ANARCHY, and the one we have is a monster. Haven't you noticed the clapping seals at the State of the Union address each year mimicking the Soviet clapping seals ? Get a fuckin clue man ! The working and productive forces in America are the mules dragging the plow through the field for the government feudal lord so that he might build his private palaces, enrich his friends, and HIRE ENOUGH MERCENARIES TO BE CERTAIN NOTHING CHANGES. The current State of affairs is not the fault of Barack Obama, but of hundreds just like him. Ego maniacal self-interested bureaucrats that have twisted a fragile system of limited government interference into a bureaucratic police state more akin to a communist State than to that originally intended. I think it's very important to criticize those tried and true REPUBLICANS that elected and re-elected this low-life bastard currently dictating a consistent policy from the Oval Office that has torched the Bill of Rights to such an extent that he demoralized his own party while embolding the other. Anyone that voted for Bush twice should have themselves institutionalized because putting it very simply they are fucking morons ! (THEY HAVE ELECTED OBAMA !) Bush has made it possible for "anybody but Bush/ie.,NO MORE Republicans" to take the Presidency in spite of the terrible record of the Democrats after being chosen to control the CONgress last election cycle. NOTHING CHANGED ... IT GOT WORSE ... and now it will get extremely worse ! For those of you that decry anarchy, I call bullshit. Is it better to be opposed by an enemy you must fund, and fund to such extremes that your every move is monitored ? To choose an over-funded enemy with unlimited funding rather than isolated pockets of under funded chieftains is ludicrous. Give me a little anarchy as opposed to what we're going to get ! Let's see 150 million tax protesters this year. No more bailouts, nor more Patriot Acts, No More fucking Cameras, No more Road Blocks/Check Points, this CONgress should only be given authority to repeal laws. People are losing their retirements while being taxed out of their earnings which even prevents them from establishing their own retirement. Get real, get real mad, and then get real even. Stop funding your own demise. Trickle down politics has brought us to such a low point where the candidate favored to win has 3 aliases, hangs out with thugs, muslim terrorists and white haters, is a bonifide communist, supports all forms of baby murder and will DIVIDE the country immediately upon his first perceived failure. (Personally I can't wait !) [Edit] I predict that there will be NO HONEYMOON period for this President, nor should there be. Political honeymoons only give them 100 days to butcher the country without objection.
Where's your birth certificate Barack ?
#5. To: noone222, All (#4)
I agree. The older I get, the more I see anarchy as the only manmade cure. But I admit that I dont know much about the various subtypes of anarchy, and the political theories behind them. I just want them to leave me alone, and quit trying so desperately to butt in to my life. I don't want them "fighting for me", I want them to just be gone, wiped off the face of the Earth along with all other so-called "authority figures".
For those of you that decry anarchy, I call bullshit. Is it better to be opposed by an enemy you must fund, and fund to such extremes that your every move is monitored ? To choose an over-funded enemy with unlimited funding rather than isolated pockets of under funded chieftains is ludicrous.
#6. To: PSUSA (#5)
When to be left alone is your only request, those being asked should have no objection. Those that do object to leaving you alone proceed at their own risk. Authority figures are illusions we've been trained to do tricks for like a dog. I think we've demonstrated that we can "Roll over and Play dead" well enough !
I want them to just be gone, wiped off the face of the Earth along with all other so-called "authority figures".
Where's your birth certificate Barack ?
#7. To: Cynicom, all (#0)
Since I can't get my hands around the throat of the 'real owners' of the country, the local slug who attempts to take my guns, or tax me more than I can afford to pay will have to take the heat. Seriously, all this piece needs is kumbaya as background noise.
Either that, or risk becoming so polarized that we eventually end up at each other's throats and destroying ourselves while the real owners of this country sit back and laugh their butts off at us.
#8. To: Jethro Tull (#7)
Notice the Bank in the background ! {At about 15 seconds in ... that Bank of Scotland }.
Where's your birth certificate Barack ?
#9. To: noone222 (#8)
Note to 'piles and other assorted fascists. See above.
#10. To: Jethro Tull (#9)
My (arse) is only half Irish ... but George Bush and the entire U.S. Slave State is invited to kiss that side.
Where's your birth certificate Barack ? Where's your Granny ???
#11. To: noone222, All (#6)
It starts early. The only legit authority should be parental. They are responsible. But the damage, IMO, occurs in school. Teacher authority figures take a kids natural and God-given curiosity about the world and beat it to a bloody pulp. The way I see it, by the time a kid reaches 6th grade or so, he/she should be able to use all they have learned to design, build, and fly a RC airplane. Put all that theoretical info to use in a practical application. How cool that would have been if I could have done that. But they dont do that. There are no practical applications given when they teach how to calculate angles, areas, etc. It's pointless information. Why would a kid retain info if there is no foreseeable practical need for that info? Sorry all, for the off topic rant. But this really pisses me off.
Authority figures are illusions we've been trained to do tricks for like a dog. I think we've demonstrated that we can "Roll over and Play dead" well enough !
#12. To: PSUSA (#11)
Don't be bashful ... say it loud !!! Get the government out of my kids head !!!
Sorry all, for the off topic rant. But this really pisses me off.
Where's your birth certificate Barack ? Where's your Granny ???
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