In contrast to the previous post, wherein I attacked two of the longest standing American political organizations and the structures which created them, this post is a bit more positive
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I don't think it matters what you call each side. We are still talking about sides. I would say that we need to change the bad and protect the good. However, I think it is everyone's responsibility to do this together. To understand that one day I may argue on the liberal side of an argument, and a conservative position of a different argument the next.
I think the real problem that you are trying to address with the E/P language is that of the derision attached to L/C by the mechanism of personal attacks. Fixing the crux of that problem is the key to really solving much of our political stalemate. It's a problem that goes back to the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and it's our turn at trying to make it better.
I've been thinking about how we change our conversations as individuals about our politics. Each individual conversation is an opportunity, and this current political climate makes that opportunity seem painful. I've been thinking that we should start a meme based around political conversation. Polite ground rules that share the spirit of the Robert's Rules of Order in the sense that speaking with respect encourages respect.
In my mind I have grandiose visions of public debates based on actual rules of debate that people can follow like a sport. I know there are different sets of rules and scoring systems for debates. I'd like to find or create a simple set for casual conversations that educate us in debate by practicing it ourselves. In the end, we are the ones responsible for our politics.
Of course we also have the issue of an information overloaded population ill equipped to deal with the monumental task of verifying the data. It's difficult to have a debate if you can't agree on what data is reality. I think perhaps information science is something I should read more about.
Regarding debates as sport, I am so with you. I'd love to see the discussion of important topics by politicians made as fun and accessible as possible so people will actually be engaged and (gasp!) even entertained. Just as long as the game doesn't have rules with stupid loopholes and bad commentators. Better than sports - it's the fate of our country!
I think the real problem that you are trying to address with the E/P language is that of the derision attached to L/C by the mechanism of personal attacks. Fixing the crux of that problem is the key to really solving much of our political stalemate. It's a problem that goes back to the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and it's our turn at trying to make it better.
I've been thinking about how we change our conversations as individuals about our politics. Each individual conversation is an opportunity, and this current political climate makes that opportunity seem painful. I've been thinking that we should start a meme based around political conversation. Polite ground rules that share the spirit of the Robert's Rules of Order in the sense that speaking with respect encourages respect.
In my mind I have grandiose visions of public debates based on actual rules of debate that people can follow like a sport. I know there are different sets of rules and scoring systems for debates. I'd like to find or create a simple set for casual conversations that educate us in debate by practicing it ourselves. In the end, we are the ones responsible for our politics.
Of course we also have the issue of an information overloaded population ill equipped to deal with the monumental task of verifying the data. It's difficult to have a debate if you can't agree on what data is reality. I think perhaps information science is something I should read more about.
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