Ain't No Senator's Son...
...but...
I work in the entertainment industry, predominantly on projects filled with Californians. To say the least, there is a screaming, Uber-Liberal mentality to most any observation of the world, politics, religion and society. To the point that I had Executive Producers, in open meetings with all their employees, telling everyone who they should vote for in the last Presidential election. In any other industry, there would be a tidal wave of uproar. Here, you just kinda shake your head and deal with it. Balding men in their forties with seashell necklaces, random tattoos and zero military experience trying to sound intelligent on the subject of war. Those bitches that spout that contradictory claim of opposing the war but supporting the troops because it leaves them morally just on both sides, and, this way, they are those great people they always claimed they were.
Myself? I'm everything that the left wing vilifies. I'm an upper-middle class, heterosexual white male. I'm the pro-Central Government, learned son of a devout Christian Air Force Colonel. I am everything the uber-Liberals loathe. Its exceptionally fun for me to just start arguments.
You'd be surprised how ignorant most zealots are on the subjects they preach about.
One argument started over a casual channel flipping past Fox News. The second it was on the screen, the room was filled with hisses and puffed out chests. "How horrible this channel is!" "How stupid anyone must be that watches it!" "Can you believe what they say?!"
I responded something along the lines of, "Man, I love that channel," to which everyone's faces snapped towards mine in an attempt to stab me down with glares.
Now, don't get me wrong, as I told all in the room, the channel is insane right wing propaganda and I don't actually agree with their sentiments or opinions, but its refreshing that, in a society informed by a harshly left-wing media, that you just have crazy bastards screaming the opposite side of the coin with 24 hour coverage. I think its awesome.
This of course led straight into six people saying the same thing in unison. "The media is not left-wing/liberal."
This was followed a large amount of laughter on my part.
I then articulated beyond just my giggling. A number of specific examples, including a four hour interview with my Father and two other officers while they were in the Middle East a few years back. The news organization (I believe it was Headline News) was trying to do a story on how incredibly low the morale of soldiers away from their Nation and families were. Unfortunately they got four hours of how high it was. These men were professionals doing their jobs and this is what they devoted their lives too. The only sound-bite that they used from this entire four hour interview was when one of the other men said something along the lines of, "Sure, I miss my family, but they understand that this is my job, and I'm excited be here and able to do it." The show cut the sound-bite down to "I miss my family," and proceeded to present a fabricated lie to the Nation about how abysmally low military morale was.
I then spoke of the witch-hunt that I believe it was 20/20 got busted on. When it was so vastly important to prove that George W was some draft-dodging pussy and never actually served in the National Guard. This of course wasn't true, so they went forth with fake evidence. The funny part to me was that we had multiple pieces of evidence that Clinton, the 2 term serving Democratic President, was a draft dodger, but the media always played that down like it didn't matter. Suddenly though, there was a Liberal Presidential candidate in Kerry that had military experience to barter on, so suddenly it was an important ingredient for a President to have. Unfortunatly, Bush did serve in the National Guard and the program had to apologize on the air for going forward with a story they didn't double check. And what was the next story they put on the air following this apology? It was a five minute piece on how people that served in the National Guard during Vietnam were still draft dodging pussies who got their Daddies to pull strings for them.
The news show specifically went in with an agenda to discredit the President who they didn't like from the get go. Like or dislike the President (honestly, I'm not to blown away with him), it doesn't matter. The media entered that story with a pre-conceived notion of what they wanted to form the materials to say, and that is the definition of biased.
I had a few more specifics which no one could refute except for the fact that I was being to specific. Oh sure, in those many exact cases, one could form the opinion that the media was biased, but that doesn't mean it is on a whole.
It's often times stupid people's ignorance of how arguments work that keeps them from understanding that they're losing the argument.
Specific examples of how they were incorrect wasn't enough, then they'd require a broad blanket statement that even their obtuse intellects could absorb.
"Don't you think its weird that conservatives think the media is left-wing and biased, and liberals think its fair and balanced?"
Suddenly, the insipid mutterings stopped and the silence of their inability to continue was my cue to leave the room.
I'm particularly opposed to blanket statements in arguments, mainly due to the fact that every absolute will have exceptions, but I do have to say that, by and large I agree quite a bit with that statement. C'mon, if the media was fair and balanced, don't you think that, by definition, extreme liberals would be often heard complaining over the media being to overtly conservative?
I got a lot of dirty looks everytime I went back in the office on that show.
Whatever
G
... I do find it weird that, in a time where our country is lead by a President I didn't vote for and is in a war I don't agree with, I'm still left defending her to those that wish to daemonize her every move and decision as being clearly evil, vicious things fueled solely by hate and greed. It's like defending Rock music against crazed housewives in the 50's who were positive that the King's pelvis was powered directly by Satan.
Claiming definite black and whites in a world made of infinite shades of gray really irritates me.
I don't agree with the war, but I don't find it morally bankrupt. A terrible nation ruled by a despotic tyrant has been over-thrown. Now, we were either lied to about the WMD's or there was just false information, either way, however, I'm with the Americans that have a bad taste in my mouth over that whole ordeal, and I can't help but be irritated by the Cheney/Haliburton angle to the whole proceedings, but any actual personal problems I have with the war come largely from the quickness we jumped into it without co-operation from the UN and seemingly without a plan of ever leaving. I don't hate that we're there, though, if we hadn't gone, I don't think it would have mattered to much to America specifically, but I don't understand what the point or plan of it all was or how/when we're ever supposed to get out.
I'm not one of the assholes who writes Bush off as some idiot hick or the figurehead of some new, Planet conquering conspiracy. I don't care what you're last name is, you don't reach those levels without having a brain in your head. Also, I'm from the South, so I don't automatically assume a Texas accent denouts stupidity. I think the guy's much brighter and more capable than anyone's trying to give him credit for. You see ignorant and quiet. I see reserved. So, I think there's more to the whole war situation than some pissed off Texan over reacting or George Jr. "finishing Daddy's work". I grew up in the Military. You know what you need to know. There's a good shot there's shit you don't need to know, yet.
Mind you, my stance is that it better be super important to have run in so haphazardly, without a plan of departure and endangering so many American soldiers. But I'm taking things as I see them.
This is in no way Vietnam.
I'm not for or against, yet. There's to many variable which haven't been made available yet. And I don't come out of the gate leaning left or right. I'm not a Republican and I'm not a Democrat. I'm a Pragmatist.
And now I'm done banging keys.
I work in the entertainment industry, predominantly on projects filled with Californians. To say the least, there is a screaming, Uber-Liberal mentality to most any observation of the world, politics, religion and society. To the point that I had Executive Producers, in open meetings with all their employees, telling everyone who they should vote for in the last Presidential election. In any other industry, there would be a tidal wave of uproar. Here, you just kinda shake your head and deal with it. Balding men in their forties with seashell necklaces, random tattoos and zero military experience trying to sound intelligent on the subject of war. Those bitches that spout that contradictory claim of opposing the war but supporting the troops because it leaves them morally just on both sides, and, this way, they are those great people they always claimed they were.
Myself? I'm everything that the left wing vilifies. I'm an upper-middle class, heterosexual white male. I'm the pro-Central Government, learned son of a devout Christian Air Force Colonel. I am everything the uber-Liberals loathe. Its exceptionally fun for me to just start arguments.
You'd be surprised how ignorant most zealots are on the subjects they preach about.
One argument started over a casual channel flipping past Fox News. The second it was on the screen, the room was filled with hisses and puffed out chests. "How horrible this channel is!" "How stupid anyone must be that watches it!" "Can you believe what they say?!"
I responded something along the lines of, "Man, I love that channel," to which everyone's faces snapped towards mine in an attempt to stab me down with glares.
Now, don't get me wrong, as I told all in the room, the channel is insane right wing propaganda and I don't actually agree with their sentiments or opinions, but its refreshing that, in a society informed by a harshly left-wing media, that you just have crazy bastards screaming the opposite side of the coin with 24 hour coverage. I think its awesome.
This of course led straight into six people saying the same thing in unison. "The media is not left-wing/liberal."
This was followed a large amount of laughter on my part.
I then articulated beyond just my giggling. A number of specific examples, including a four hour interview with my Father and two other officers while they were in the Middle East a few years back. The news organization (I believe it was Headline News) was trying to do a story on how incredibly low the morale of soldiers away from their Nation and families were. Unfortunately they got four hours of how high it was. These men were professionals doing their jobs and this is what they devoted their lives too. The only sound-bite that they used from this entire four hour interview was when one of the other men said something along the lines of, "Sure, I miss my family, but they understand that this is my job, and I'm excited be here and able to do it." The show cut the sound-bite down to "I miss my family," and proceeded to present a fabricated lie to the Nation about how abysmally low military morale was.
I then spoke of the witch-hunt that I believe it was 20/20 got busted on. When it was so vastly important to prove that George W was some draft-dodging pussy and never actually served in the National Guard. This of course wasn't true, so they went forth with fake evidence. The funny part to me was that we had multiple pieces of evidence that Clinton, the 2 term serving Democratic President, was a draft dodger, but the media always played that down like it didn't matter. Suddenly though, there was a Liberal Presidential candidate in Kerry that had military experience to barter on, so suddenly it was an important ingredient for a President to have. Unfortunatly, Bush did serve in the National Guard and the program had to apologize on the air for going forward with a story they didn't double check. And what was the next story they put on the air following this apology? It was a five minute piece on how people that served in the National Guard during Vietnam were still draft dodging pussies who got their Daddies to pull strings for them.
The news show specifically went in with an agenda to discredit the President who they didn't like from the get go. Like or dislike the President (honestly, I'm not to blown away with him), it doesn't matter. The media entered that story with a pre-conceived notion of what they wanted to form the materials to say, and that is the definition of biased.
I had a few more specifics which no one could refute except for the fact that I was being to specific. Oh sure, in those many exact cases, one could form the opinion that the media was biased, but that doesn't mean it is on a whole.
It's often times stupid people's ignorance of how arguments work that keeps them from understanding that they're losing the argument.
Specific examples of how they were incorrect wasn't enough, then they'd require a broad blanket statement that even their obtuse intellects could absorb.
"Don't you think its weird that conservatives think the media is left-wing and biased, and liberals think its fair and balanced?"
Suddenly, the insipid mutterings stopped and the silence of their inability to continue was my cue to leave the room.
I'm particularly opposed to blanket statements in arguments, mainly due to the fact that every absolute will have exceptions, but I do have to say that, by and large I agree quite a bit with that statement. C'mon, if the media was fair and balanced, don't you think that, by definition, extreme liberals would be often heard complaining over the media being to overtly conservative?
I got a lot of dirty looks everytime I went back in the office on that show.
Whatever
G
... I do find it weird that, in a time where our country is lead by a President I didn't vote for and is in a war I don't agree with, I'm still left defending her to those that wish to daemonize her every move and decision as being clearly evil, vicious things fueled solely by hate and greed. It's like defending Rock music against crazed housewives in the 50's who were positive that the King's pelvis was powered directly by Satan.
Claiming definite black and whites in a world made of infinite shades of gray really irritates me.
I don't agree with the war, but I don't find it morally bankrupt. A terrible nation ruled by a despotic tyrant has been over-thrown. Now, we were either lied to about the WMD's or there was just false information, either way, however, I'm with the Americans that have a bad taste in my mouth over that whole ordeal, and I can't help but be irritated by the Cheney/Haliburton angle to the whole proceedings, but any actual personal problems I have with the war come largely from the quickness we jumped into it without co-operation from the UN and seemingly without a plan of ever leaving. I don't hate that we're there, though, if we hadn't gone, I don't think it would have mattered to much to America specifically, but I don't understand what the point or plan of it all was or how/when we're ever supposed to get out.
I'm not one of the assholes who writes Bush off as some idiot hick or the figurehead of some new, Planet conquering conspiracy. I don't care what you're last name is, you don't reach those levels without having a brain in your head. Also, I'm from the South, so I don't automatically assume a Texas accent denouts stupidity. I think the guy's much brighter and more capable than anyone's trying to give him credit for. You see ignorant and quiet. I see reserved. So, I think there's more to the whole war situation than some pissed off Texan over reacting or George Jr. "finishing Daddy's work". I grew up in the Military. You know what you need to know. There's a good shot there's shit you don't need to know, yet.
Mind you, my stance is that it better be super important to have run in so haphazardly, without a plan of departure and endangering so many American soldiers. But I'm taking things as I see them.
This is in no way Vietnam.
I'm not for or against, yet. There's to many variable which haven't been made available yet. And I don't come out of the gate leaning left or right. I'm not a Republican and I'm not a Democrat. I'm a Pragmatist.
And now I'm done banging keys.