Hating the haters
As I've mentioned before, I do my best to stay off the political subjects because people get so passionate they can't see straight. Everybody is entitled to their opinion and if people want to voice it I have no problem with it. Yesterday Tony Snow, a conservative commentator, died of cancer. He left behind three children and a wife. I would think you wouldn't be human if you couldn't muster up a little sympathy for a man who dies at the age of 53.
well, I WOULD BE WRONG! A friend of mine sent me an email directing me to
The piece describing the Mr. Snow was about what I expected but some of the comments were horrible. Some that stuck out...
See ya, wouldn't want to be ya
Karma ! Thank You Jesus !!
I send my condolences to his family, but I'm happy he's gone.
Helms and Snow in one week, the world is a better place without both of these regressive forces. Sad but true.
There were more and there were some nice things said too but I can't understand people that take politics to this level. These type of people simply can't accept that people have opinions other than their own. They scream, "freedom of speech" then try to shout down those who disagree. They don't respect ELECTED officials they didn't vote for. They don't care about the 'will of the people', only their will and their beliefs. They preach tolerance and acceptance yet are the first to trample the rights of those who disagree with them. They don't have opponents they have sworn enemies.
I didn't know Tony Snow but I haven't heard a bad word said about him from people who did. If the people he went up against everyday found him to be a decent person, why would someone who never met him wish him death by cancer? Wish his family this loss?
Former senator Jesse Helms died recently too. I'm sure to the glee of many of these same people. While I disagreed with almost everything he stood for, I do realize he was from a different era. Sure it would be easy to apply today's standards to his career and label him as a bigot, homophobe, and much more but life is more complicated than that. If it were only so easy as to have people be all good or all bad. The real truth is very few people in the world are pure evil. Disagreeing with someone's positions does not make a person evil. Senator Helms was elected by the people, to do the will of the people and that's what he did. I didn't like it but apparently the people of his state did. He was their voice. I have to respect that. I also have to respect the office he held, as well as his service to his country. He didn't take up arms and shoot the people he disagreed with, no, he did it the democratic way, the right way, even if it was the wrong positions. Doesn't every free person have that right? Shouldn't they?
The world we live in is not so black and white that any of us can climb up on a soap box with absolute proof that what we believe is the the only truth. If that were the case there would be no argument to be had. If we are completely honest with ourselves, we would admit that we pick our positions based on our environment, upbringing, feelings, and a thousand other factors that have little to do with fact. Because for every fact I can throw at you to support my positions, you can throw a different one at me to support yours.
While I can respect and understand people filled with passion, enthusiasm and commitment, I can't understand it when it leaves no room for compassion, empathy and humanity. Seriously, being happy someone dies from cancer because you disagree with their politics? What's wrong with people? A man died, show some respect or at the very least keep you hateful comments to yourself. It's the LEAST you could do. Is that so hard? ... Apparently it is.
11 comments:
*hug*
It's frustrating to find those people but they're everywhere...
Thanks. I know they're there but it just hit me wrong on this one. *sigh* :(
*hug*
"They scream, "freedom of speech" then try to shout down those who disagree"
Kind of like labelling anyone who disagrees with the war in Iraq as "unpatriotic", don't you think?
I can see what your trying to say, but personally I feel there are a few flaws in your thinking.
It is not right to wish a person dead, but is it right to wish a person out of your life, and out of the reach of people they can hurt? Democracy is sometimes described as a way for 51% of the population to suppress the rights of 49%. I don't know either of these people on any level but if they are in a position of power surely they have a certain responsibility not to do harm. If they are doing harm and directly effect certain peoples lives, could these certain people not wish this person out of that position and out of their lives?
I again reiterate, nobody should wish another dead, nor wish harm to another, nor take some happiness from the death of another.
I don't think anyone could be described as pure evil, but where do we draw the line at someone being evil or good. We all have differing opinions of what is forgivable and what is not.
Gordo: Not really.
Labeling people who disagree with the war doesn't stop them from disagreeing or speaking out about it or anything else. No more than labeling people for the war as 'war mongers' does. It's all a matter of opinion but it doesn't deny anyone their rights.
But for the record, I'm glad people disagreed with the war. Honest debate is NEEDED to examine every aspect of an important step like taking up arms against anyone. Debate puts the "D" in democracy for me. It doesn't mean you're not patriotic it means you care and are involved. That is the very definition of patriotism to me. My opinion of course.
Darren: I see your point but at some point a direction has to be chosen. Democracy seems to be the fairest way to do that. As Winston Churchill once said,
"Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried."
I think we're in agreement here. If you disagree with someone, wish them enlightenment, hope they lose their position, vote them out of office but taking joy from their death? No. I can only think of a handful of people through out history that I felt better that they were dead and even then I was sad that it had to come to that.
Admittedly, I wrote this post a little angry but I still say that people that can take political disagreement to this level scare me.
Unfortunately, some of the most strident supporters of the war, and the conservative cause in general, have used the "unpatriotic" label in an attempt to stifle debate entirely. They don't have an proper argument to answer the criticisms with, so they resort to straw-man tactics. It's disingenuous, at the very least, to claim this as a solely a tactic of the left. Idiots on both sides of the floor use it.
I never claimed the left was the only ones to do this. That would be a lot more than disingenuous.
I paid more attention to this case because it was Tony Snow, who I thought was a hell of a guy but I have no doubt that if someone like James Carville
died, the hard right conservatives (especially the religious right) would be just as vicious, if not worse.
Which is sad because James Carville, a man I think is the worst of the worst when it comes to playing politics, gets it. He practical debates with a grin on his face because he knows most of it is a dog and pony show. Then at the end of the day he goes home to his very republican wife Mary Matalin.
I agree with you that there are idiots on both sides, too many if you ask me. Again, if either side's facts were absolute there would be no need for debate.
Very true. What I really find disappointing is that the vast majority of us seem to have forgotten that it's possible to have a knock-down drag-out argument about an issue and still part as friends. It seems to be a lost art. I know I have a terrible time doing it when I have these sorts of discussions with a couple of co-workers.
Ha! Ain't that the truth! :)
For me I really don't care what people's positions are, if it's well thought out and makes sense to them, I can deal with it. I might not believe it but so what? It's not like I have all the answers.
I always try to remember that the whole time a person is rejecting my reasonable, well thought out, common sense, obvious position I am rejecting their reasonable, well thought out, common sense, obvious position. That keeps me civil.
And in most cases I'd rather keep a friend than make a point. Not to say that anyone should back down from what they believe, I just think we should pick our battles wisely. Convincing me that Tony Snow was the devil's spawn changes nothing.
But if you want to go a few rounds over an issue sometime just shoot me an email. I'm sure we could find something to disagree about. ;D
I strike you as the disagreeable sort, do I? ;-)
:) No, you IMPRESS me as someone who likes to discuss current issues, just like I do.
Write to your local paper much?
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