CDZ Obama, Hillary, Trump, Fake News, Mueller, The Swamp.....

It stems from the problem with our educational system. We are getting dumber and dumber. We also are getter no more emotional. It’s easier to react to the emotions you feel than to think about the problem logically. Our emotions are either soothed or agitated by the media and our culture. We become addicted to this manipulation and actively seek it out. Those of us who were taught to think and reason are getting older and dying out.
Agreed, and then it's magnified by the internet and social media, which happily enable and cater to the looniest of us.

I think this is cultural, and a cancer is much tougher to cut out of a culture. It metastasizes quickly.
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I also think part of the problem is how much both sides have villainized the other. They don't just disagree; they think the other side is evil. They're literally fighting evil in their minds. I'll put on my tin foil hat and say I think that situation has been created intentionally.
 
Isn't it obvious. We are a nation ruled by an ideology of individualism and self interest. What you are seeing is the result.
I agree to a point, but I do think that going too far in the opposite direction (another one of our traits) is not the answer, either.

We don't appear to have the intellectual patience required to find points of equilibrium.
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So you think taking a stand on any issue is wrong?
Um, no.

Is that really what you got from my post?
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Amongst other things.
Okay. I answered your question, please answer mine.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?

.
Sure, there's a method to all media coverage these days.
Trump haters listen to the nasty coverage on MSNBC and CNN, and Trump supporters sometimes listen to Fox.
If I listen to the smart-ass remarks by pundits on MSNBC and CNN all I want to do is cave their heads in. They basically repeat over and over how much they loathe Trump and his supporters. That's about all they have to say.
 
I agree to a point, but I do think that going too far in the opposite direction (another one of our traits) is not the answer, either.

We don't appear to have the intellectual patience required to find points of equilibrium.
.
So you think taking a stand on any issue is wrong?
Um, no.

Is that really what you got from my post?
.
Amongst other things.
Okay. I answered your question, please answer mine.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?

.
Sure, there's a method to all media coverage these days.
Trump haters listen to the nasty coverage on MSNBC and CNN, and Trump supporters sometimes listen to Fox.
If I listen to the smart-ass remarks by pundits on MSNBC and CNN all I want to do is cave their heads in. They basically repeat over and over how much they loathe Trump and his supporters. That's about all they have to say.
That wasn't my question. I'm talking about anyone taking a "stand" on anything. You taking a stand on USMB, for example. I'll ask again:

Take two people on any issue.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?
 
So you think taking a stand on any issue is wrong?
Um, no.

Is that really what you got from my post?
.
Amongst other things.
Okay. I answered your question, please answer mine.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?

.
Sure, there's a method to all media coverage these days.
Trump haters listen to the nasty coverage on MSNBC and CNN, and Trump supporters sometimes listen to Fox.
If I listen to the smart-ass remarks by pundits on MSNBC and CNN all I want to do is cave their heads in. They basically repeat over and over how much they loathe Trump and his supporters. That's about all they have to say.
That wasn't my question. I'm talking about anyone taking a "stand" on anything. You taking a stand on USMB, for example. I'll ask again:

Take two people on any issue.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?
Maybe you need to put your own sarcasm aside and look into the meat of the issues rather than dismissing them off-hand like you usually do.
 
Um, no.

Is that really what you got from my post?
.
Amongst other things.
Okay. I answered your question, please answer mine.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?

.
Sure, there's a method to all media coverage these days.
Trump haters listen to the nasty coverage on MSNBC and CNN, and Trump supporters sometimes listen to Fox.
If I listen to the smart-ass remarks by pundits on MSNBC and CNN all I want to do is cave their heads in. They basically repeat over and over how much they loathe Trump and his supporters. That's about all they have to say.
That wasn't my question. I'm talking about anyone taking a "stand" on anything. You taking a stand on USMB, for example. I'll ask again:

Take two people on any issue.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?
Maybe you need to put your own sarcasm aside and look into the meat of the issues rather than dismissing them off-hand like you usually do.
Okay, I think you've answered my question.

This is what I'm talking about. This is what concerns me.
.
 
Amongst other things.
Okay. I answered your question, please answer mine.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?

.
Sure, there's a method to all media coverage these days.
Trump haters listen to the nasty coverage on MSNBC and CNN, and Trump supporters sometimes listen to Fox.
If I listen to the smart-ass remarks by pundits on MSNBC and CNN all I want to do is cave their heads in. They basically repeat over and over how much they loathe Trump and his supporters. That's about all they have to say.
That wasn't my question. I'm talking about anyone taking a "stand" on anything. You taking a stand on USMB, for example. I'll ask again:

Take two people on any issue.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?
Maybe you need to put your own sarcasm aside and look into the meat of the issues rather than dismissing them off-hand like you usually do.
Okay, I think you've answered my question.

This is what I'm talking about. This is what concerns me.
.
Look.....some of us see wrong and want to right it.
You seem to have an issue with that.
 
Okay. I answered your question, please answer mine.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?

.
Sure, there's a method to all media coverage these days.
Trump haters listen to the nasty coverage on MSNBC and CNN, and Trump supporters sometimes listen to Fox.
If I listen to the smart-ass remarks by pundits on MSNBC and CNN all I want to do is cave their heads in. They basically repeat over and over how much they loathe Trump and his supporters. That's about all they have to say.
That wasn't my question. I'm talking about anyone taking a "stand" on anything. You taking a stand on USMB, for example. I'll ask again:

Take two people on any issue.

On one hand, we can completely avoid discussing an important issue. Take no "stands" on any issue.

On the other hand, we can divide ourselves by tribes and address the issue with hyperbole, distortions, Straw Man arguments, personal insults, name-calling, myopia, goofy conspiracies, and deflection.

Can you imagine anything, any methods, any behaviors, in between those two things?
Maybe you need to put your own sarcasm aside and look into the meat of the issues rather than dismissing them off-hand like you usually do.
Okay, I think you've answered my question.

This is what I'm talking about. This is what concerns me.
.
Look.....some of us see wrong and want to right it.
You seem to have an issue with that.
You, however, want to sit on the fence and not get involved.
This is because you may not have any core principles.
 
Isn't it obvious. We are a nation ruled by an ideology of individualism and self interest. What you are seeing is the result.
I agree to a point, but I do think that going too far in the opposite direction (another one of our traits) is not the answer, either.

We don't appear to have the intellectual patience required to find points of equilibrium.
.
.
Intellectual Compromise

If two people want something and must agree upon conditions to achieve it …
That sets the stage for compromise.

If one person wants something another person doesn’t want to allow them …
Compromise is replaced by who has the power to take or defend.​

.
 
You, however, want to sit on the fence and not get involved.
This is because you may not have any core principles.

I see it more that I want to sit on the fence and have a long and fair discussion about it rather than jump off the fence into the mud pit with the rest of you animals.
 
You, however, want to sit on the fence and not get involved.
This is because you may not have any core principles.
They're described clearly in the first three lines of my sig. I've made them as simple as I can.

I've asked you a clear and direct question twice now, and you simply can't bring yourself to provide a clear and direct answer.

Instead, you've turned to the standard tactic used by both ends of the spectrum to avoid honest communication -- deflect/pivot/attack. Avoid the question, make it all about me.

This is it. This is a microcosm of the problem, right here.
.
 
You, however, want to sit on the fence and not get involved.
This is because you may not have any core principles.
They're described clearly in the first three lines of my sig. I've made them as simple as I can.

I've asked you a clear and direct question twice now, and you simply can't bring yourself to provide a clear and direct answer.

Instead, you've turned to the standard tactic used by both ends of the spectrum to avoid honest communication -- deflect/pivot/attack. Avoid the question, make it all about me.

This is it. This is a microcosm of the problem, right here.
.
Dude, I don't have time for this. I have to take OSHA classes this morning, I don't have time to explore your phobias about what other people are doing.
And by the way......
Not only is your question obscure but it's a leading question intended to garner a particular response.
 
You, however, want to sit on the fence and not get involved.
This is because you may not have any core principles.
They're described clearly in the first three lines of my sig. I've made them as simple as I can.

I've asked you a clear and direct question twice now, and you simply can't bring yourself to provide a clear and direct answer.

Instead, you've turned to the standard tactic used by both ends of the spectrum to avoid honest communication -- deflect/pivot/attack. Avoid the question, make it all about me.

This is it. This is a microcosm of the problem, right here.
.
Dude, I don't have time for this. I have to take OSHA classes this morning, I don't have time to explore your phobias about what other people are doing.
And by the way......
Not only is your question obscure but it's a leading question intended to garner a particular response.
Okay, thanks!
.
 
It stems from the problem with our educational system. We are getting dumber and dumber. We also are getter no more emotional. It’s easier to react to the emotions you feel than to think about the problem logically. Our emotions are either soothed or agitated by the media and our culture. We become addicted to this manipulation and actively seek it out. Those of us who were taught to think and reason are getting older and dying out.
Agreed, and then it's magnified by the internet and social media, which happily enable and cater to the looniest of us.

I think this is cultural, and a cancer is much tougher to cut out of a culture. It metastasizes quickly.
.

I don’t think you can stop it. Our kids and grand kids are being taught to feel instead of think right now by the media, culture, and soon, in school.
 
It stems from the problem with our educational system. We are getting dumber and dumber. We also are getter no more emotional. It’s easier to react to the emotions you feel than to think about the problem logically. Our emotions are either soothed or agitated by the media and our culture. We become addicted to this manipulation and actively seek it out. Those of us who were taught to think and reason are getting older and dying out.
Agreed, and then it's magnified by the internet and social media, which happily enable and cater to the looniest of us.

I think this is cultural, and a cancer is much tougher to cut out of a culture. It metastasizes quickly.
.

I don’t think you can stop it. Our kids and grand kids are being taught to feel instead of think right now by the media, culture, and soon, in school.
Can't argue.
.
 
Just reviewing the current news cycle, thinking about D.C., the press and threads here...

I wonder how many words have been spent, and how much time has been spent, over the last 10 years or so on conspiracy theories, "breaking news", shocking developments, they're-really-gonna-get-it-now, this-is-the-big-one, fantastical conjecture, gotcha news stories, fanciful hypotheses and shallow wishful thinking.

And then I wonder, by contrast, how many words have been spent, how much time and effort has been spent, on looking honestly and critically at the issues that challenge, threaten and divide us and collaborating to create new, dynamic and innovating ways to address them and improve things together.

Is this really what we want? Is this really the best we can do? It appears to be, since this is all we do. It sure is easier than doing the heavy lifting that's needed.

What happened to us? Is anyone else wondering this?
.

We are being fed a load of crap to keep us busy while the ruling class continues to consolidate their wealth.

Isn't it obvious. We are a nation ruled by an ideology of individualism and self interest. What you are seeing is the result.

I wish more folks would 'get' that...

curtain1-1024x682.jpg
Talking class conflict is taboo. It was purged, along with any resistance to the neoliberal order, during the red scare.
 
Isn't it obvious. We are a nation ruled by an ideology of individualism and self interest. What you are seeing is the result.
I agree to a point, but I do think that going too far in the opposite direction (another one of our traits) is not the answer, either.

We don't appear to have the intellectual patience required to find points of equilibrium.
.
Well, at some point you will have to come to terms with the idea that equilibrium is not in the economic interests of the ruling class. Or not.
 
Isn't it obvious. We are a nation ruled by an ideology of individualism and self interest. What you are seeing is the result.
I agree to a point, but I do think that going too far in the opposite direction (another one of our traits) is not the answer, either.

We don't appear to have the intellectual patience required to find points of equilibrium.
.
Well, at some point you will have to come to terms with the idea that equilibrium is not in the economic interests of the ruling class. Or not.
Of course it isn't. That's not my point.
.
 
Isn't it obvious. We are a nation ruled by an ideology of individualism and self interest. What you are seeing is the result.
I agree to a point, but I do think that going too far in the opposite direction (another one of our traits) is not the answer, either.

We don't appear to have the intellectual patience required to find points of equilibrium.
.
Well, at some point you will have to come to terms with the idea that equilibrium is not in the economic interests of the ruling class. Or not.
Of course it isn't. That's not my point.
.
Do you accept the premise of a ruling class that dominates our discourse? I don't mean in a coordinated or conspiratorial fashion.
 
Well, at some point you will have to come to terms with the idea that equilibrium is not in the economic interests of the ruling class. Or not.

No more than someone coming to terms with the fact potential is not a measure of actual achievement ... :thup:

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