On 4/6/21 12:43 PM, Phillip
Hallam-Baker wrote:
There is a difference between extreme views and extreme methods.
I am an absolutist on certain issues but I have never instigated the use of force or put my opponents in a position where they have no option but to use force for self protection.
It's not about use of force. It's how you are characterizing the debate
as the "good, pure, moral people like me" and the "bigots, morons, and
troglodytes like the other."
That kind of language is very divisive and it just makes people angry.
No one likes being called a bigot, no one likes having their motives
questioned (e.g. "language was used to intentionally denigrate people"),
and if you have to spend your time telling everyone how moral, polite,
and educated you are it's probably because you're not.
It was abundantly obvious to which political party I was referring to in this instance.
There are no political parties here.
Dan.
On Tue, Apr 6, 2021 at 3:32 PM Keith Moore <moore@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 4/6/21 3:14 PM, Phillip Hallam-Baker wrote:
> Rather than accept the fact that a certain set of language was used to
> intentionally denigrate people on account of ethnicity, gender, etc.
> one party has made even the acknowledgment that this occurred to be a
> partisan political issue. It has spent the last four years demanding
> that everyone take sides and now they are having an epic tantrum
> because along with the vast majority of polite, educated society, we
> chose the side opposing bigotry.
Agree with most of your post, or at least I think I do. But as for the
above paragraph:
I'm not sure who you're referring to here, and it's not necessary to
name them. But in general, everyone thinks they're on the side of
right and (when it matters) and that often implies that others are on
the wrong side. The more important the issue, the more likely that the
opponents of a position will be cast as extremists. Claiming to be on
"the side opposing bigotry" implies that the other side is promoting
bigotry. Without my taking a position on this specifically (because I
actually don't know what you're talking about), I suspect that the other
side doesn't see it that way. It's easy to mis-state or exaggerate the
other side's position. I would like to suggest that discussions will
probably be more productive if we try to avoid doing that.
Keith
-- "The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius
