The new term of insult
Obviously, because there are some that may be offended by the words used, I'll give you a chance to hide the children and the boss before viewing this.
As many of you probably know, there are many different words in our history that have been used to separate people by means of insult. First, you have "nigger". Then, you have "queer". Ladies and gentlemen, I now give you the next word that is about to only be used in a demeaning term: "republican".
You're probably now asking yourself, how can a political party be a taboo word? This, of course, after ten minutes of being appalled over, "OMG, wschmrdr said the N word!" Well, I'm trying to make a point, and I'm not going to censor myself, because the true meaning of what I say will be missed. If you ever get into a political debate with someone with whom I would typically disagree, they will, without much regard for thought, throw out the term "republican". It doesn't matter if you believe in social freedoms, or if you may agree with them on a couple of topics here and there, you are branded as "republican".
After a little bit of thought, I'm starting to liken political parties to religion. Obviously it isn't the same thing as the traditional higher-power-based religions we're used to seeing, such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or pre-Christian Roman religion. It's all the same thing, a group of people with a set of beliefs that help to shape your present in order to create a desirable future. There's one other quality which doesn't necessarily go noticed unless you take a bird's eye view, in that they are very polarising: you're either with them or against them. Also, to execute this polarisation, you will hear terms be used to separate what is acceptable in the cult's eyes to what is unacceptable. Common terms include "sinner", or "blasphemer", or "infidel". How does the left-wing political party separate anyone who does not completely buy into the cult? They call the outsider a "republican", and throw it around like the Christians would throw the word "sin". Even hearing from neutral parties that have encountered meetings with the left, if you disagree with them on anything, you're shunned, and the will of the cult (in the political case, many members) is wrought upon the shunned to receive an education of the ways of the cult. Obviously, scare tactics are very common in the reinforcement of the cult's beliefs, such as "going to hell" or "reincarnating to the lowest level of the caste" or "having things taken away from you by the corporations". Whether it's true or not, we don't know for sure.
One thing I will say though, on behalf of these cults, is that those who believe are given peace of mind. They are given a "road map", as it were, to life and follow it. Obviously the cults will supervise these various well-ridden roads and look to show, by means of the aforementioned education, when someone has gone off the mapped trail and how to get back to it. For some people, this is desirable, as they wish to know where to go, and are given that way to go. There are also some who enjoy the adventure of navigating without a map or compass, as it were. They believe that it develops character, because you chart your own territory and learn much more about life through discovery.
The best thing I can see to do, in this case, is to respect the journeys that people choose, and most of all, to provide a compass to those who ask for it. There's no reason to be prideful about your cult, or to exalt wrath upon those that do not wish to follow. Respect the decisions that people make, and most of all, support and defend the ability to choose those roads not taken.
"I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." --Robert Frost
As many of you probably know, there are many different words in our history that have been used to separate people by means of insult. First, you have "nigger". Then, you have "queer". Ladies and gentlemen, I now give you the next word that is about to only be used in a demeaning term: "republican".
You're probably now asking yourself, how can a political party be a taboo word? This, of course, after ten minutes of being appalled over, "OMG, wschmrdr said the N word!" Well, I'm trying to make a point, and I'm not going to censor myself, because the true meaning of what I say will be missed. If you ever get into a political debate with someone with whom I would typically disagree, they will, without much regard for thought, throw out the term "republican". It doesn't matter if you believe in social freedoms, or if you may agree with them on a couple of topics here and there, you are branded as "republican".
After a little bit of thought, I'm starting to liken political parties to religion. Obviously it isn't the same thing as the traditional higher-power-based religions we're used to seeing, such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or pre-Christian Roman religion. It's all the same thing, a group of people with a set of beliefs that help to shape your present in order to create a desirable future. There's one other quality which doesn't necessarily go noticed unless you take a bird's eye view, in that they are very polarising: you're either with them or against them. Also, to execute this polarisation, you will hear terms be used to separate what is acceptable in the cult's eyes to what is unacceptable. Common terms include "sinner", or "blasphemer", or "infidel". How does the left-wing political party separate anyone who does not completely buy into the cult? They call the outsider a "republican", and throw it around like the Christians would throw the word "sin". Even hearing from neutral parties that have encountered meetings with the left, if you disagree with them on anything, you're shunned, and the will of the cult (in the political case, many members) is wrought upon the shunned to receive an education of the ways of the cult. Obviously, scare tactics are very common in the reinforcement of the cult's beliefs, such as "going to hell" or "reincarnating to the lowest level of the caste" or "having things taken away from you by the corporations". Whether it's true or not, we don't know for sure.
One thing I will say though, on behalf of these cults, is that those who believe are given peace of mind. They are given a "road map", as it were, to life and follow it. Obviously the cults will supervise these various well-ridden roads and look to show, by means of the aforementioned education, when someone has gone off the mapped trail and how to get back to it. For some people, this is desirable, as they wish to know where to go, and are given that way to go. There are also some who enjoy the adventure of navigating without a map or compass, as it were. They believe that it develops character, because you chart your own territory and learn much more about life through discovery.
The best thing I can see to do, in this case, is to respect the journeys that people choose, and most of all, to provide a compass to those who ask for it. There's no reason to be prideful about your cult, or to exalt wrath upon those that do not wish to follow. Respect the decisions that people make, and most of all, support and defend the ability to choose those roads not taken.
"I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." --Robert Frost