Re: Bad Cop, Bad Cop, Whatcha gonna do?
My post was personal, and worded far too harshly. That was unfair and I apologize to Old Pio for that. My sentiment remains unchanged though. OP bothers me because he routinely fails to recognize he nearly always falls victim to the very things HE complains about. He never allows for an alternative thought or explanation. His one response to all issues like those discussed in threads like this is to defend those in power and in the establishment. He never is willing to admit he may have mistaken the intent of a post (a post that might be poorly worded or convoluted -- I'm guilty of posting like that sometimes as many are here) or might just be flat out wrong. People like that make the possibility of rational discourse or argument almost impossible and he is one small example of a mentality that is poisoning too many facets of our public lives as citizens of this society.
I pride myself on being willing and able to change my mind when I am wrong. I seek out alternate opinions. I read books by thoughtful authors on topics I care about that are written from a point of view I do not hold. I make a habit of seeking news from as many varied sites as I can and regularly read newspapers from all corners of the country. I think I have friends who both think exactly as I do and friends who have viewpoints that are 180 degrees separated from my beliefs. I have no idea if OP is truly like he comes off here. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Maybe it's a little of both. But I do know that as we separate ourselves more and more into groups of people who only think, behave and believe like WE do, we will never solve problems like those that get argued in forums like these. Believe it or not, I think the internet reflects what is wrong (and occasionally what is good) about our country at large.
At the end of the day I suppose I could put OP and others like that on ignore. But my (perhaps naive) hope is that by listening to all comers I might learn a thing or two and develop a better understanding of a particular topic.
*ETA* I'd delete my post from yesterday but I believe that leaving it there is a better way of owning up to a poorly thought out and unfair response to a post critical of me. Even though we all hide a little behind screen names, I won't hide from my poor choice of words.
