Us and Them
Sep. 26th, 2008 06:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cinema_babeI understand that it serves no sides' purpose to admit that the other folks aren't evil, stupid, and destroying America. We live with this (sometimes ridiculous) idea that ideology must be binary; you must have "this" or "that", there can be no compromise. Sometimes you're right, sometimes one of the other guys is right. In my experience though, there's usually a little bit of "right" in both.
Even though I used my Vote icon, this is really sentiment really goes far beyond the election season.
When They do it, it is "the mask slipped" or it is a "Freudian Slip".
When We do it, its a "mistatement" and "allow me to revise my remarks".
When They do it, it is using "code words" and "dogwhistling".
When We do it, it is "speaking to our base".
When We do it, it was a "lighthearted jest".
When They do it, it is Not Funny.
When one of "our" people" join Them, they are class/race/political traitors.
When one of "their" people join Us, they are "seeing the light" and "coming together in unity".
When one of Their people attend services in a church with a "weird" minister, they are a "nutjob".
When one of Our people attend services in a church with a "weird" minister, they are "being part of their community of faith".
When We say "You are wrong", that is "speaking truth to power".
When They say "You are wrong", it is an "ad hominem attack".
When They continue to disagree with us, that is "Getting in our face", and is bad.
When We continue to disagree with them, that is "Getting in their face", and is good.
When one of Them get caught doing something illegal, embarrassing, or hypocritical, it is a demonstration of their moral bankruptcy.
When one of Us get caught doing something illegal, embarrassing, or hypocritical, it is a "momentary lapse" that we should "Move On" from.
When We throw people off the ballot and off the election rolls by using legal technicalities, it is "defending the integrity of the democratic process".
When They throw people off the ballot and off the election rolls by using legal technicalities, it is "attacking the integrity of the democratic process".
I could keep going...
But that would probable be an "ad hominem attack" and "getting in your face" and a demonstration of my "moral bankruptcy".
Even though I used my Vote icon, this is really sentiment really goes far beyond the election season.
When They do it, it is "the mask slipped" or it is a "Freudian Slip".
When We do it, its a "mistatement" and "allow me to revise my remarks".
When They do it, it is using "code words" and "dogwhistling".
When We do it, it is "speaking to our base".
When We do it, it was a "lighthearted jest".
When They do it, it is Not Funny.
When one of "our" people" join Them, they are class/race/political traitors.
When one of "their" people join Us, they are "seeing the light" and "coming together in unity".
When one of Their people attend services in a church with a "weird" minister, they are a "nutjob".
When one of Our people attend services in a church with a "weird" minister, they are "being part of their community of faith".
When We say "You are wrong", that is "speaking truth to power".
When They say "You are wrong", it is an "ad hominem attack".
When They continue to disagree with us, that is "Getting in our face", and is bad.
When We continue to disagree with them, that is "Getting in their face", and is good.
When one of Them get caught doing something illegal, embarrassing, or hypocritical, it is a demonstration of their moral bankruptcy.
When one of Us get caught doing something illegal, embarrassing, or hypocritical, it is a "momentary lapse" that we should "Move On" from.
When We throw people off the ballot and off the election rolls by using legal technicalities, it is "defending the integrity of the democratic process".
When They throw people off the ballot and off the election rolls by using legal technicalities, it is "attacking the integrity of the democratic process".
I could keep going...
But that would probable be an "ad hominem attack" and "getting in your face" and a demonstration of my "moral bankruptcy".
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-27 12:23 pm (UTC)I sit here the morning after what I had hoped would be a decisive debate filled with little more than antipathy for both major cadidates: Neither of these guys are going to get much good done IMHO.
My last vestige of hope is now sliding toward the VP candidates: it seems likely to me the niether of the presidential candidates will live to see the end of thier term. Of the VPs who have ascended to the presidency, I've got the good example of Teddy Roosevelt on one hand, and the not so good example of LBJ on the other hand.
But thanks for the note of sanity on a bleary morning.