I posted a comment in an earlier thread which i had read about people politicizing Obamas vacation time while he deals with the BP oil spill. My post is seen below, i took a very neutral stance, and the point of what i was saying was promptly missed by someone coming in and once again trashing the other party. I want to start my commentary by saying, i am also guilty of the scenarios i talk about, so dont bother with "your a hypocrite." Are we even capable anymore of analysing situations in a non partisan way, it seems to me like the more information we are able to find the more information we find which supports our own general view points, and while people seem to be incapable of taking in information which criticises their own beliefs they seem to be more than capable of coming up with a million reasons they are right. (myself included.) Even when you find smoeone who is somewhat up in the middle in terms of how they view politics if you were to question them about certain instances they would come up with a million reasons why you are wrong, and never accept the reasons they may not be right. It seems like the information age while it has been a blessing, has also been a curse. You can find info on 99% of politicians in this day in age taking hypocrtical stances, and the only side one is willing to admit to, is the one that supports their arguments. If you look at the first 20 threads in here all it has turned into is one side arguing a certain position, and the other side arguing that there was infact some case where that side argued for the same thing or was being a hypocrite. Does the current state of politics even stand a chance if this continues to be the argument? It seems to me we just keep getting worse and worse politicians on both sides, and each side is to busy trying to convince the other how wrong their side is, without ever analysing their own side, and never even giving consideration to what their side is doing. If you look closely at the threads, 90% or more are people posting to disparage the other side and almost nothing is an actual argument for their own side. And no one is ever willing to admit they were wrong or reasess their own situation. (again before someone comes out with a gotcha link i readily admit to doing the same) If you have a response to this, feel free, if you are going to come on here and post anything derogatory about either side of the political spectrum or me i will not answer, i just find it interesting the turn that politics in general has taken since the internet became a huge factor in politics, as it never seemed to be this partisan before, and you would think that with all the information readily available more people would have moved to the centre as opposed to seperating themselves even more.
Good post with some serious consequences as you mention. The situation is dire. The chain of influence is unbroken. Ie the case with Clinton currently. This (politics on steriods) isn't even a case of expert vs expert and the tribulations of making a descision, it's pointless drivel vs drivel. No one is allowed to change their mind, viewpoint, learn from a mistake without assigning some devious motive. Dershowitz addresses prejuidice in the supreme court judges, where one would expect the last bastion of objectivity (sigh, "creative" law).
Thats exactly what im saying, it doesnt seem like either side is trying to work to find viable solutions to ANYTHING, the whole game has just turned in to proving the other guy with the opposing view point is a bigger asshole then you are, and whoever comes up with more evidence of how bad the other guy is, is a winner, and the original point of the whole excercise of trying to find a solution is gone. Everyone has become completely locked into their own beliefs, lest they be accused of becoming a hyporcite and the whole argument has changed from trying to prove why your view points might be right, to trying to prove that the other guy is a bigger asshole than you are. This is going to have dire consequences in the end, as we just keep going on the path of getting nothing solved, i dont know if it came with the popularity of the internet, but i sure seem to remember being able to debate opposing political beliefs in a civil manner, with people 1 on 1 alot better then it seems to be on the internet. It seems people in general are more willing to solve an argument over the internet by calling a guy an asshole or a racist, or a hypocrite, than they would be in person, and both sides have just become rigid in their beliefs. My theory behind it is that back in the day when you heard a message from someone, and you had to go out and try to disprove that message atleast you had to find facts pertaining to the actual message as opposed to googling barney frank, or michelle bachmann, or nancy pelosi, or Sarah Palin and simply finding out what an idiot they are on youtube, and instantly discounting the message. Its no longer about debating the message, it is a game of trying to discredit the messenger at all costs.