People on the left want abortion rights, but they want to limit gun rights. People on the right want their guns and they want to ban abortion. Neither side seems to have monopoly on liberty.
After proposition 8 passed, churches were vandalized. After the health care bill passed, the offices of Democrats were vandalized. People at the extremes seem to act similarly regardless of their beliefs.
People on each side have legitimate reasons to believe what they believe, be it God or secular humanism or whatever. How do people originally decide which camp they fall in? Intelligence? Life experience? Peer group? And once they have formed their opinions, why are they so reluctant to change them? Why are some so convinced that they are right that they are willing to use violence? Why do you believe what you believe?
I love how the press just eats this stuff up. But the people continue to get riled up by the news. I love how if you listen to one group, the world is gonna end, and if you listen to the other, the world will end if the other group gets control. While everyone else is arguing over whose side can speak better or dress better, or whatever, I wanna know one thing...Where the hell is all the money we let you hold for us? If you look around the country (US), Feds, States, counties, cities etc. You will find all of the legislative bodies asking for more money because they oopsed on our budget. Now I don't know about you, but if I and another person had a contracted relationship, and they "lost" all my money; then we would probably adjust our relationship. The camps are so entrenched, they will continue to duke it out in the burning building or the sinking ship, take your pick, in a classic Pyrric victory!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wonder if violent extremists are merely a statistical inevitability across cultures, that x number of human beings will generate y number of anti-social nihilists that just want to destroy things. Other factors can be worked into the equation, such as education, cultural tendencies tolerating abject hatred and bigotry, and economic situation. And that perhaps these people ("enemies of humanity," as I call them) draw on these ideologies merely to provide a moral framework to commit acts of violence. Are there any psychologists or sociologists in the house? Please stand up.
ReplyDeleteOr are these "camps" the status quo of all societies and a select few are able to navigate the murky waters with aid of curiosity and learning? Only a handful can claim the status of Socrates and his great ability to be self aware and logical when deciding all matters. What are these people in history? Oracles? Intelligentsia? Wisemen? Wherever you look, you will find the equivalent in another name.
ReplyDeleteI'm far too young to have any direct experience with Barry Goldwater, but he's got a quote that may sum up the feelings of those that resort to violence. That quote is: "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice." Those that use violence must justify it to themselves in a similar sort of way, even if they can't express it as articulately.
ReplyDeleteNice quote. I agree. However, this is one of those algebraic quotes where any value can be substituted for "liberty."
ReplyDelete"God," "Jesus," "fatherland," "Islam" all come to mind.
Exactly
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Jay Bee, what do you have against math?
ReplyDeleteMath hates me, ergo I hate it.
ReplyDeletebeliefs have a lot to do with how you were raised - muslims tend to raise muslims, catholics tend to raise catholics, conservatives tend to raise conservatives, liberals tend to raise liberals, and mormons . . . tend to raise people who used to be mormon.
ReplyDeletealso - the age thing - did it show the same people at those different ages? or show different people at different ages - because if it's different people at different ages - it also speaks volumes about the generation they grew up in
ReplyDelete