Life: Cocky and Condescending

I’ve been called worse. But recently the relentlessness to which peers have been assigning me these labels is astonishing. Yes, when I find out someone’s weakness I use it for my own humor (i.e. if you are freaked out by my saying “I love you” so flippantly I will not only say “I love you” more but will add other fun phrases to make you even more uncomfortable). But besides my obsession with creating awkward situations, I also like to compliment myself. But come on, my gain outweighs your loss, so it does the world better for me to be the way I am. And anyway, I’m not cocky, I’m honest.

Comments

I hate comment spam. Thus, I will now use word verification for all comments. I apologize.

I decided when I created this blog that I would not comment on my own posts. My opinions are in my post and if I feel so strongly as to clarify a point I will write a new entry, but never will I argue with a comment. I say this for two reasons. Firstly, many of you comment anonymously, and although this is your choice, I would much prefer to know who my readers are. If you disagree with one of my opinions, it is ok. I will not take it personally and actually encourage the discussion.

Secondly, I hope I create either inspiration or disgust in my readers, and therefore encourage you to share your opinions. But for me, I value substantive critiques, genuine concerns, specific dialogue, useful compliments, and emotional sentiments. I do not value generalities. Thank you if you thought I wrote well, but tell me why. I inspired you, how? You disagree; well it isn’t because I’m stupid, let’s talk about the issue. You didn’t think I wrote well? Perfect, now offer me suggestions on how to improve.

If I have a problem with college students right now it’s that we speak in generalities. It sounds good but let’s actually do something. Let’s put our minds together and fight this out. Let’s be productive. Let’s be specific.

I ask of you, comment without fear of judgment from me or any one else. I had my turn, now I offer you one.

Life: Lars Larson

While in Oregon I listened to the local, and now nationally syndicated, talk radio host Lars Larson. To break the monotony, I will fast forward to the comment that irked me to no end. He uttered some version of, “now I don’t care if some nut job wants to buy an alternately fueled vehicle but I like my gas-guzzling Tahoe. I don’t want all these whack-jobs taking my taxes to fund research for hydrogen-methane-electric-pussy fuel. Don’t take my money for your insanity.”

I won’t give him the respect of actually responding but regardless, I was fuming. This guy has hundreds of thousands of listeners who live by his words.

He was irresponsible, baseless, and wrong, but regardless, I had a difficult time explaining why. It is his opinion; it is a free country, so why am I angry?

I whole heartedly disagree with what he said but how can I prove his opinion to be false? The subjectivity of what and who is wrong cannot be proven nor disproved by even the most conscious debaters. Arguments can sway people’s opinions or even change them, but arguments and evidence cannot prove opinions false.

Is it ever our right to silence even the most ignorant voice? Can America subject itself to extreme political correctness? What would happen if we outlawed “hurtful” or “prejudicial” comments? I can only imagine the horrors of such a world. Soon sarcasm would be outlawed and friendly teasing would be subject to zero tolerance policies. We must understand that the freedom to be radical is an inevitable ramification of free speech, but that does not discredit the First Amendment’s importance.

In today’s world of unprecedented political division it is easy to hope for the silencing of contradictory opinions, but in the wake of war and fear, if there is ever a time in American history to embrace free speech, now is that time.

If Lars Larsen held a pollute-the-world rally, I would disagree with his premise and probably protest, but inside I’d smile in the face of American freedom. America is the tolerance of differing opinions. Disagree? Good, you are allowed to.

Politics: Past, Present, and Future

Why is it that we purposefully forget the demons of our past? And only recognize our naivety when it smacks us in the face? My figurative slap came not from an intuitive conversation or careful read, but rather from a movie. Mona Lisa Smile.

I was aware of, just not conscious of the inequalities between men and women. Mona Lisa Smile carefully and eloquently stories the lives of America’s brightest young female minds, pointing out that there ambitions reached no further than the kitchen table (at least on the surface).

Not to discredit the validity of similar inequality arguments in a contemporary setting, but I choose to use this as motivation to discuss a much more pressing and immediate injustice than women’s rights.

By watching, I was reminded of society’s ignorance and its inability to see past its immediate desires. We stair at our past, laugh at ourselves for the baseless nature of our old laws and claims, and yet still use similar logic to justify current contentions?

For example, interracial marriage was against the law in 16 states in 1967. The supporters of such filth not only had tradition on their side, but as they saw it, the bible.

I’m through arguing for gay marriage on political (separation of church and state) or moral (human equality) grounds. I offer you this.

In fifty years your children and grandchildren are going to hear about what we have done to dehumanize these people and their relationships, maybe even through a poignant movie. They will comment just as we do, “I can’t believe people really believed that. They were so ignorant.” They will.

So I ask you this, will you be the one to stand proud and tell stories of your activism and progressiveness, your ability to see beyond the present? Or will you be left to bow your head as so many must do now?

I’ll tell you what, more than anything, I’m afraid of how I’m going to be able to convince my children that people who thought that way weren’t bad people. They were real.

You are real. You are just terribly misguided.

And if not through this, time will prove me right.