I run into a lot of situations where someone I know is wrong; they hold an incorrect idea or belief, and insist on bringing it up at every opportunity. Many, but not all, of these beliefs concern the state in some way.
Just a few examples that come to mind:
"Illegal immigrants" are not destroying "our society" no matter how much "they are costing us". Welfare, in the form of food stamps, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, WIC, "public schools", and a multitude of other scams, is. Face the real issue here.
There is no excuse to "enforce the gun laws we already have" since every single one of them is illegal, immoral, and evil. "Conservatives" are just as wrong on the issue of guns as "liberals" are. Every gun "law" is wrong and should NEVER be enforced against ANYONE. Regardless of how much you dislike them, and no matter how much of a threat they pose to the state.
Taxation is theft and there is no excuse for it. None. It doesn't matter how important you think the government programs you happen to like are. No government program is important enough to steal in order to finance, and none is important enough to kill those who don't want to fork over their property. If you like the government program enough that you think it is OK to steal and kill to support it, then I suggest you try to do it on your own instead of sending badged and uniformed thugs to do your dirty work for you. I also suggest you try to develop some character so you can shed this immoral belief.
The War on some Drugs is completely evil. I see news reports of how many people are being killed in the drug trade and want to scream at the top of my lungs: "Prohibition will ALWAYS produce the same results!" It doesn't matter if you think it is wrong to use drugs or not. It is completely stupid to sacrifice so many lives for your delusions. If you support prohibition, the blood is on your hands.
There. I got some of those out.
I have been trying to learn to keep my mouth shut after my first run-in with these erroneous beliefs. After all, the person obviously knows I don't agree with them. Especially if they caught me off-guard when they mentioned or acted upon the belief in the first place. If they want to examine their belief more closely, I will help. It does no good to state why they are wrong every time the issue crops up. This will only make them cranky, and make me frustrated, and I would be a jerk for making it into an argument every time. Still, I consider it a little boorish of the other person to keep harping on things I know are wrong, and that they know I know are wrong.
......................................
As one who does remind those people constantly - :)
ReplyDelete..because they use their mis-belief to justify a different set of actions. When challenged to why they believe such action is justified, they themselves devolve back into the same conspicuously flawed arguments that got them cornered the last time they used them.
I truly believe that they think that, one day, they will find some circumstance that does justify these actions. As they are not skilled nor trained to 'figure things out' based on proper first principles, they are stuck in an infinite series of trial-and-error attempts.
Further, because they are not trained to think, they believe those that use logic and reason on them are "tricking them". That somehow through these tricks, we move their belief system into a "White equals Black" answer. Since they believe their system is correct, their flawed logic makes them think that, ironically, logic and reason is wrong - and as such, thinkers are actually master of some "Jedi mind trick" that fools them.
If it didn't matter, I wouldn't care how irrational they may be.
However, it does matter.
No one can find a safe way out for himself if society is sweeping toward destruction. Therefore, everyone, in his own interests, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle. None can stand aside with unconcern; the interest of everyone hangs on the result.”
Truth is that which is-the absence of a lie. And Truth is pretty much a matter of discovery.
ReplyDeleteThere are those in search of it and other elements of human behavior who enjoy badgering those seeking it.
Do not be discouraged by what others do and think.They too are on a path-way,despite the fact it may appear to be one to de-rail others.
Resistance is not necessarily dis-cord. And I!m reminded of this as I observe the beautiful Jonquils, resist the earth to come forth in bloom.
As for myself I must read The Desiderata frequently to remind myself, the dull and ignorant too, have their story.
Keep up the good writing
Anne Cleveland
octogenariansblog.com
Ok i feel very feeble minded when I read the comments...Maybe it's just because of the stress I have in my own life, and because of the Conservative views of the person I live with...but I see alot more diseases becoming more prevalant in our society, especially in our children's schools, daycares, and areas where they are exposed....because of Illegal immigrants and their lack of concern to get innoculated for these. I just saw on the news ( i know, don't roll your eyes...) that Small Pox has made a return...that scares the bejeebers out of me, and I certainly don't want my children around that! But no, I don't think that they are "destroying" our society, just making it a bit more unsafe w/ their lack of hygiene. I hope I don't get slaughtered for that...
ReplyDeleteIf the vaccinations your kids received actually work, then it shouldn't matter if an unvaccinated kid comes down with a disease; your kid should still be protected. IF the vaccinations really work.
ReplyDeleteSince smallpox has been completely eradicated "in the wild", and the only samples of it in existence in the world are in government laboratories, if it IS making a comeback it is on purpose and it wasn't the immigrants who did it.
I suspect this is just more of the "dirty Jews" propaganda that was used to justify Hitler's extermnation program, altered for 21st century America, where "we" would never support such things. When you hear these things try to consider what the spreader of the story has to gain from convincing you of this scary tale.
TeenerBeener,
ReplyDeleteI understand your concerns-I don't share them at all, but I do understand them.
With a State that has a public polity(rather than a "less-evolved" system such as aristocracy, monarchy, or other governmental form where politics extend only to a small fraction of the population)it must find ways to direct the thought of people in order to maintain control and its dominance. It does this through divisive identity politics(racism, or class struggle, or Kent's Jew analogy), through Nationalism, and through fear. It is a natural part of the State to do this-they all do it.
The troublesome part of this is that there really are things to fear-and the White Horseman is Pestilence, so your fear of disease is indeed founded in reality, but not in accuracy.
All people carry disease, as do all animals, and so to presume that one group is more likely to transmit disease than another is a bit obtuse, since disease is pervasive anyway-and frankly it gets worried about far too much if you ask me.
To believe that somehow or another the State can protect, truly protect, you or your children from disease, by barb-wiring a river or forcing inoculations, or whatever other means might be suggested, you are in effect suggesting that the State has the power of a God.
Last I checked(and I try not to), not many of the boys and girls in 'ol Washington City look like Greek Gods-why on Earth would you trust any of those nitwits and thieves to protect your children from anything? They could not even protect the nerve-center of their supposedly "invincible" military from a couple of sweaty fruitcakes with box cutters-some Gods.
Not only is that(if you happen to be religious, and I'm not) sacrilege, it is also Marxist(you might not want to mention that bit to the "conservative" you live with-trust me, they don't tend to like being called Marxists one little bit).
Hope I didn't go out into the woods too far, I certainly did not mean to "slaughter" you in any way. Since Kent brought up the Nazi's and the Jews, I'd like to suggest Marx's "On the Jewish Question" essay to you. He illustrates just how truly horrific the State can be in that essay, how logic and the meaning of words can be perverted so wholly as to be meaningless(in this case freedom of religion, or indeed all freedom-it can only really occur with State-enforced Atheism, doncha know)tools to oppress. Marx also shows what a thoroughly detestable mammal he was, since I think he actually believed what he wrote.
Always stand your ground if you think you are right-you probably are, and if you are not, you can only learn by being proven wrong.
Always stand your ground if you think you are right-you probably are, and if you are not, you can only learn by being proven wrong
ReplyDelete(cough) the rest of the message...
ReplyDeleteThose are the words I live by