I got Lasik! I now have 20/20 vision! No more glasses or contacts! I can go swimming and open my eyes under water and actually see stuff! I can wake up in the morning and tell how late for work I am! I can get drunk and pass out and not have to worry about taking my contacts out! I can be stranded on a desert island and survive because I can see!
It is a miracle.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Back and Forth, Round and Round
I do this to myself. I seek out debate. Even if I don't have a firm opinion on something, I will often pick a side and argue my point. Too bad I went to Podunk H.S., I could have been all state if we'd had a debate team! Lately, I've been having a little back and forth with some Conservatives who like to pass on propaganda to me in the form of emails and "articles". I get agitated with them because whatever my response is, they come back with a nonsensical response and usually a personal jab of some sort.
Here is the response that I posted to a long, story email about a father and a girl. The story compares sharing money (via taxes) to sharing grades in college (by the dean taking the girl's G.P.A. points and redistributing the points):
Why do Republicans compare apples to oranges and call it a truth?
Distribution of wealth isn't just about those people who don't 'deserve' to have anything because they don't work as hard as everyone else, but about those who are prevented from doing so, usually by illness or injury. Certainly there are those who take advantage of the programs currently available, but even prisons wouldn't exist without government funding, and I don't hear anyone arguing to cut those programs.
(The response makes a lot of sense in the context of the story's details).
Here's what someone wrote back to me:
I guess we should all go live in Russia so we can all live on the government and prisons will be available with no complaints.
WTF does that even mean? Are they referring to Communist Russia? Because last time I check Russia is a Democracy (albeit nearly a dictatorship with Putin's recent actions). I told this person to go read a book (I was frustrated and tired and didn't have time to compose a lengthy response).
Next, the original poster of the story wrote this (Reply All):
First of all, let me say thank you to those of you who cheered on this comparison that is being dubbed an "apples to oranges" comparison. It's so nice to have so many people taking this election so personally. I hope that everyone will exercise their fervor with the power of the secret ballot. The reason that I am responding to this so pubicly is because I have been spurred on by a few and, let's just be honest, pride has perhaps got the best of me at this moment. Honestly, I haven't taken politics personally until this moment. I personally think you should be paying closer attention to your local representatives, judges, etc. as they make a bigger impact on you in the great scheme of things. Maybe I am wrong on that though, and am sure to hear the brunt of your opinion if I am. Republicans have their faults, but sometimes we must choose between the lesser of two evils, especially given the representatives from which we have to choose. The office of presidency has no doubt an instrumental hand in your life and mine. And furthermore, we want to put Bill Clinton, George W on a pedestal/guillotine. But the truth of the matter is that they, as all presidents do, is thrive in an inherited environment. In other words, as a student and once-upon-a-time, teacher of history, one will find that, as they study the chronology of former presidents, that they spend the bulk of their time in office sifting through the former president's old trash-good and bad. Much like the swells in an ocean, they have been building deep in the vast sea long before you or I ever see them on shore. That out of the way, I have but one thing to say in response to the what I would call a sarcastic response, at best, to my friends:
Would those of you with a brain please get out there and vote later this year?
Much like the swells in an ocean??? Again, WTF is this person even talking about. Sadly, I'm pretty sure she's a college graduate, although I think she got a teaching degree, which speaks loads about our educational system. Actually, maybe she just recites the curriculum given to her and her inability to form logical thoughts only comes out in personal correspondence. Additionally, this was before Texas held its primaries, so I'm not sure if she's including herself in the group of people who have a brain because otherwise she meant vote later this week, right S?
Next, same chick posted this "article", which for sake of room I will provide the Snopes page to which I referred her and this was my response to her post:
Someone I know posted this *idiotic* bulletin which, considering I'm still fired up after the primaries yesterday, has really struck a nerve with me. I get so irritated when I see propaganda like this: pseudo-scientific, illogical babble passed around by conservatives who for some reason seem to be threatened by the hoi polloi or the "welfare nation" as they see it, without realizing that many of them them rank amongst them (Dear middle class and rural Americans, you fall below the line even though you've been led to believe you fall above it). This is the 2nd such attach I've seen in a week, and it almost laughable to realize that some people get stuff like this in their inbox and swallow it whole, print it out and pass it around to their friends and family, saying "OMG, You've got to read this great article", all the while not realizing (or do they??) its essentially a hoax!
Okay, I'll cease my rant, refer you the Snopes (http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/tyler.asp) article that invalidates ALL BUT ONE (!!!Even the quoted sources are made up!!!) of the suppositions below and hope and pray that the people of this "Great" nation learn to look up the facts (Seriously, everyone should already have Snopes and Wikipedia bookmarked) once in a while instead of passing along garbage like this:
Which, granted was more incindiary, and prompted the below exchange:
From: S
Date: 05 Mar 2008, 17:39
Why do you react to things like this in such a bitchy manner? If you don't agree with something, why do you even pass it on? You give so much negative energy to things you say you don't agree with. You should really watch 'The Secret.' It may help you.
My Response:
Actually, S, I read (underline) The Secret, and its not about being 'bitchy', its about responding to something that I see being passed around and recognize to be erroneous in its assumptions. Its about pointing out Snopes articles and saying "Don't believe everything you read, and only half of what you see" and then passing that information on.
The definition of Apathy is having an absence of concern or interest, emotion or feeling, especially concerning matters of general importance. To sit around and visualize a better tomorrow for myself is passive and bordering on apathetic, so no thank you.
I'm not trying to change your mind or your ideology. But any time I see a post, by you or anyone else, and happen to read it and recognize it to be erroneous or invalid reasoning (see http://virtualschool.edu/mon/SocialConstruction/Logic.html for the rules of logic), and if I feel like it, I will probably repost it with a correction, if it is indeed wrong. And sometimes I'm wrong about things, too. But usually its about men or which top goes with which pants, not politics :)
----------------- Original Message -----------------
So the moral of the story is I think its important to not just roll over and take it. If you see something you don't agree with you have the right to response or to silence and when people put statements, stories, whatever out there that are just plain fallacious and/or made up, perhaps they shouldn't be so surprised when someone calls them out on it. (Obviously, I'm short on time again, as what I really want to say would take much longer but be much more elegant and meaningful, but oh well).
Here is the response that I posted to a long, story email about a father and a girl. The story compares sharing money (via taxes) to sharing grades in college (by the dean taking the girl's G.P.A. points and redistributing the points):
Why do Republicans compare apples to oranges and call it a truth?
Distribution of wealth isn't just about those people who don't 'deserve' to have anything because they don't work as hard as everyone else, but about those who are prevented from doing so, usually by illness or injury. Certainly there are those who take advantage of the programs currently available, but even prisons wouldn't exist without government funding, and I don't hear anyone arguing to cut those programs.
(The response makes a lot of sense in the context of the story's details).
Here's what someone wrote back to me:
I guess we should all go live in Russia so we can all live on the government and prisons will be available with no complaints.
WTF does that even mean? Are they referring to Communist Russia? Because last time I check Russia is a Democracy (albeit nearly a dictatorship with Putin's recent actions). I told this person to go read a book (I was frustrated and tired and didn't have time to compose a lengthy response).
Next, the original poster of the story wrote this (Reply All):
First of all, let me say thank you to those of you who cheered on this comparison that is being dubbed an "apples to oranges" comparison. It's so nice to have so many people taking this election so personally. I hope that everyone will exercise their fervor with the power of the secret ballot. The reason that I am responding to this so pubicly is because I have been spurred on by a few and, let's just be honest, pride has perhaps got the best of me at this moment. Honestly, I haven't taken politics personally until this moment. I personally think you should be paying closer attention to your local representatives, judges, etc. as they make a bigger impact on you in the great scheme of things. Maybe I am wrong on that though, and am sure to hear the brunt of your opinion if I am. Republicans have their faults, but sometimes we must choose between the lesser of two evils, especially given the representatives from which we have to choose. The office of presidency has no doubt an instrumental hand in your life and mine. And furthermore, we want to put Bill Clinton, George W on a pedestal/guillotine. But the truth of the matter is that they, as all presidents do, is thrive in an inherited environment. In other words, as a student and once-upon-a-time, teacher of history, one will find that, as they study the chronology of former presidents, that they spend the bulk of their time in office sifting through the former president's old trash-good and bad. Much like the swells in an ocean, they have been building deep in the vast sea long before you or I ever see them on shore. That out of the way, I have but one thing to say in response to the what I would call a sarcastic response, at best, to my friends:
Would those of you with a brain please get out there and vote later this year?
Much like the swells in an ocean??? Again, WTF is this person even talking about. Sadly, I'm pretty sure she's a college graduate, although I think she got a teaching degree, which speaks loads about our educational system. Actually, maybe she just recites the curriculum given to her and her inability to form logical thoughts only comes out in personal correspondence. Additionally, this was before Texas held its primaries, so I'm not sure if she's including herself in the group of people who have a brain because otherwise she meant vote later this week, right S?
Next, same chick posted this "article", which for sake of room I will provide the Snopes page to which I referred her and this was my response to her post:
Someone I know posted this *idiotic* bulletin which, considering I'm still fired up after the primaries yesterday, has really struck a nerve with me. I get so irritated when I see propaganda like this: pseudo-scientific, illogical babble passed around by conservatives who for some reason seem to be threatened by the hoi polloi or the "welfare nation" as they see it, without realizing that many of them them rank amongst them (Dear middle class and rural Americans, you fall below the line even though you've been led to believe you fall above it). This is the 2nd such attach I've seen in a week, and it almost laughable to realize that some people get stuff like this in their inbox and swallow it whole, print it out and pass it around to their friends and family, saying "OMG, You've got to read this great article", all the while not realizing (or do they??) its essentially a hoax!
Okay, I'll cease my rant, refer you the Snopes (http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/tyler.asp) article that invalidates ALL BUT ONE (!!!Even the quoted sources are made up!!!) of the suppositions below and hope and pray that the people of this "Great" nation learn to look up the facts (Seriously, everyone should already have Snopes and Wikipedia bookmarked) once in a while instead of passing along garbage like this:
Which, granted was more incindiary, and prompted the below exchange:
From: S
Date: 05 Mar 2008, 17:39
Why do you react to things like this in such a bitchy manner? If you don't agree with something, why do you even pass it on? You give so much negative energy to things you say you don't agree with. You should really watch 'The Secret.' It may help you.
My Response:
Actually, S, I read (underline) The Secret, and its not about being 'bitchy', its about responding to something that I see being passed around and recognize to be erroneous in its assumptions. Its about pointing out Snopes articles and saying "Don't believe everything you read, and only half of what you see" and then passing that information on.
The definition of Apathy is having an absence of concern or interest, emotion or feeling, especially concerning matters of general importance. To sit around and visualize a better tomorrow for myself is passive and bordering on apathetic, so no thank you.
I'm not trying to change your mind or your ideology. But any time I see a post, by you or anyone else, and happen to read it and recognize it to be erroneous or invalid reasoning (see http://virtualschool.edu/mon/SocialConstruction/Logic.html for the rules of logic), and if I feel like it, I will probably repost it with a correction, if it is indeed wrong. And sometimes I'm wrong about things, too. But usually its about men or which top goes with which pants, not politics :)
----------------- Original Message -----------------
So the moral of the story is I think its important to not just roll over and take it. If you see something you don't agree with you have the right to response or to silence and when people put statements, stories, whatever out there that are just plain fallacious and/or made up, perhaps they shouldn't be so surprised when someone calls them out on it. (Obviously, I'm short on time again, as what I really want to say would take much longer but be much more elegant and meaningful, but oh well).
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