Originally Posted by
PoliTalker
Hi Bill,
So true. I do agree. We see a lot more frustration and venting than listening and learning.
I originally began chatting politics online because I was driving my work buddies crazy wanting to talk about politics. They finally had to put their foot down and ask me to stop. I was incredulous. To me it was so important that the nation be actively engaged in the political process, and many of our problems arise specifically because people simply do not know what's going on, and by not talking about it, the problem was perpetuated. Here I was trying to raise the awareness level and they were just annoyed with me for it. So I obliged them and found online chat rooms to scratch my itch.
My SO didn't understand my growing passion for the political process. Thought I was 'wasting my time.' Naturally, I saw it differently. But I was challenged with the question: 'What are you accomplishing? You're never going to convince any of those other people that you are right and they are wrong. So just what are you accomplishing?"
I had to think about my answer. To me, it seemed like I was doing the right thing, being engaged in the process, like the Constitution depends on. I realized I was better informed for it. That's what is being accomplished. And along the way, I have also matured. I transformed from the very confrontational poster I began as to the easy-going carefully respectful poster I now am. I am now able to talk politics with anybody of any view and not get angry. That's huge. Most people can't really do that. They get so animated when politics comes up. I think that's because there is this pox on talking about politics or religion. Like you're not supposed to at social gatherings. That little social rule really hurts our nation. The reason people get angry is because they are frustrated and feel powerless. They want to quickly place blame and simplify.
Through online chat I have learned to calmly listen to others in real life as they say things that once would have made me angry. I let them finish and then I challenge their views with crucial points, going right to the heart of the matter, speaking directly to the subject. If I get the chance. A lot of people these days are so ADD they can't speak to one issue but instead go rambling from issue to issue, or they want to interrupt whomever is speaking so they can blurt what's on their mind about what was just said, without hearing the rest, perhaps fearful that if they listen more they will forget what they wanted to say to that one point.
That short attention span thing makes people embarrassed, so that could account for their reluctance to engage in a deep political conversation. And it's so easy to destroy a conversation with anger and insults that many simply can't resist, can't help themselves, using that technique as an easy way out of a conversation they feel they might be over their heads in. And we see that happening here as well. You back somebody into a corner on an issue and they have no good recourse so they destroy the conversation with insults just to get out of it.
After I realized all of this I had to ask myself what was left for me with online chatting. That's when I realized that what I get is invaluable insight. I get two big things: I get informed, and I learn why other people believe the things they do. I get informed by forcing myself to do research and look things up that I'm commenting on. This frequently leads to modifying my view. I learn what motivates other views by challenging the things others say. That's where I learn if they have good logic, or if they are simply motivated by emotion. All the people on my Ignore List are motivated by emotion. They fear the unknown, and reject it. And they get angry if you challenge them on their view. That's when they turn on you. So I have no problem putting them on Ignore because I already learned why they hold their views. I have no more use in talking to them.
When I find so many of opposing views who have no good logic for their beliefs it serves to reaffirm my own convictions about what I believe. It is reassuring to me to have a good grasp of what's going on in the world, and to know that I am joined by many who do share my views. And for the ones who don't, but are able to respectfully discuss the issues, I secretly hope that they (and the ignored ones who read my posts) will think about my words after the fact and, even if they never admit it to me, see some logic in my view, and realize they were unable to present anything which soundly disputed it, so maybe I was really onto something. I'll never know, but it doesn't really matter. I got what I came for and I also got to state my position for others to see. And that scratches the itch.
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