Did you know that
… if Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had just asked King George over for tea, instead of those pesky radicals dumping his tea in the harbor, then the crown would totally have reduced their taxes?
… if Gandhi had just asked real nice, and burned some incense, Britain would have fallen over itself to free India immediately?
… if Rosa Parks had just moved on back when she was asked, Montgomery would have welcomed the opportunity to integrate its bus line, lunch counters and schools?
… if perpetrators of domestic violence and their victims would just hug, everything would be all better at home?
Because if the lions and the lambs would just shake hands and agree to disagree amicably about policy, or find some previously unexplored unblemished middle ground between fair and unfair, then lions could eat lambs in peace and all would be right with the world.
Some say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeated, expecting different results. Going by that definition I must be insane because I have repeated myself ad nauseam in the hopes of getting the message across, to no avail. I feel like I am beating my head against a wall. You are as hard headed as Red S Tater, you know it?
At no point did I say or imply that injustice shouldn’t be fought. At no point did I say or imply that people should lie down and get walked on in the sake of being polite. That is a gross misinterpretation of my words on your part (either that or I have failed miserably to properly explain myself, or a combination thereof…all are entirely possible).
Let me take a moment to explain why I am so adamant about treating people with respect.
First off – My parents taught me to do so and I honestly and whole heartedly believe in the Golden Rule. If that makes me a bad or weak person in your, or anyone else’s, eyes then so be it.
Second – I have worked in the customer service industry for 15 years. During that time I have been on the receiving end of some of the ugliest examples of disrespect and lack of common courtesy. I have been the punching bag for companies that could care less about me or their customers. Throughout the entire experience, I have been amazed at the lack of general respect for others are part of the human race conveyed by so many.
Third – In the years that I have followed politics and listened to the pundits and talk show hosts, I have been appalled at how civil discourse was/is conducted. Instead of addressing ideas and issues, people throw insults. In other words they take the easy way out. Bad behavior aside, this nonsense is dumbing down the discourse and debate in this country. Instead of actually engaging in serious debate, they sling mud, finding it easier to make personal attacks rather than working towards solutions. Every time people like Ann Coulter and Michael Moore open their mouths and spew their hate, they are not only behaving like children (not to insult children mind you), but they are actually contributing to making America dumber.
Yes I am asking people to take the higher ground, something that I think both Gandhi and MLK showed us was possible to do and still get results. But even more than that I am simply asking people to not treat each other like shit. Is that wrong?
On a completely unrelated subject… I noticed on another comment that I posted that WordPress converted my smiley into an emoticon. How cool is that? I wish Blogger did that.
Some say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeated, expecting different results. Going by that definition I must be insane because I have repeated myself ad nauseam in the hopes of getting the message across, to no avail. I feel like I am beating my head against a wall. You are as hard headed as Red S Tater, you know it?
At no point did I say or imply that injustice shouldn’t be fought. At no point did I say or imply that people should lie down and get walked on in the sake of being polite. That is a gross misinterpretation of my words on your part (either that or I have failed miserably to properly explain myself, or a combination thereof…all are entirely possible).
Let me take a moment to explain why I am so adamant about treating people with respect.
First off – My parents taught me to do so and I honestly and whole heartedly believe in the Golden Rule. If that makes me a bad or weak person in your, or anyone else’s, eyes then so be it.
Second – I have worked in the customer service industry for 15 years. During that time I have been on the receiving end of some of the ugliest examples of disrespect and lack of common courtesy. I have been the punching bag for companies that could care less about me or their customers. Throughout the entire experience, I have been amazed at the lack of general respect for others are part of the human race conveyed by so many.
Third – In the years that I have followed politics and listened to the pundits and talk show hosts, I have been appalled at how civil discourse was/is conducted. Instead of addressing ideas and issues, people throw insults. In other words they take the easy way out. Bad behavior aside, this nonsense is dumbing down the discourse and debate in this country. Instead of actually engaging in serious debate, they sling mud, finding it easier to make personal attacks rather than working towards solutions. Every time people like Ann Coulter and Michael Moore open their mouths and spew their hate, they are not only behaving like children (not to insult children mind you), but they are actually contributing to making America dumber.
Yes I am asking people to take the higher ground, something that I think both Gandhi and MLK showed us was possible to do and still get results. But even more than that I am simply asking people to not treat each other like shit. Is that wrong?
On a completely unrelated subject… I noticed on another comment that I posted that WordPress converted my smiley into an emoticon. How cool is that? I wish Blogger did that.