Kakki wrote:
> Debra wrote:
>
> > This shows how right-wingers are so easily frustrated and >have absolutely
> no tolerance of other views, and instead of trying to persuade people of
> their view by talking about ideas, they just toss insults around. That
> doesn't ever convince me of anything, no matter how many facts might be
> included among all those insults.
> >
> > There's no equivalent behavior from the Democrats. Thank >god for that.
> Can you imagine if everyone communicated >only by insulting the other side?
> Nothing would ever get >done. It would be an endless name-calling marathon.
>
> Debra, do you seriously believe this? Just on this list alone, not only in
> the past few weeks, but over time, I have read many people call Bush a
> "moron", "uneducated" (despite an MBA from Harward), a "scary" person who
> "will take away all our rights" and "destroy the country" and so on.
> Haven't you read these posts, too?
Yes, I've read all the posts. My statement wasn't clear. I didn't mean to say
that Democrats never say negative things about the other side, and say it as an
insult sometimes. I did mean that there is no systematic way for Democrats to
spread their one-sided view, as the right-wingers do through talk radio. We've
seen examples of the different approaches right here on this list:
Saying I think Bush is a moron who is not intelligent or experienced enough to
lead this country is one thing, and it might offend people. So.... tell me
differently. Show me why I'm wrong. I'm being specific enough that it's
something that can be discussed. No matter how persuasive you are, I may never
agree, but will always believe it's your right to think as you do.
Reading that all Democrats are such morons they need assistance with
reproduction is something else entirely. That's merely hateful name-calling. To
disagree with that becomes a yes they are, no they're not, yes they are, no
they're not, argument across the schoolyard. That's the talk radio approach.
A lot of right-wingers have learned to argue the talk radio way, to communicate
"only by insulting the other side" way. That seems very destructive to me, and
I stick to my notion that, in general, more liberal thinkers do not limit the
expression of their ideas to name-calling and insults.
Can you imagine Tom Brokaw spending a half hour publicly making fun of anyone?
I can't. But I have heard Rush Limbaugh spend 1/2 hour making fun of Hillary
Clinton. Why does he do that? It just spreads hate. And then people repeat what
they've heard and think they're well informed.
So, as far as I know, there is no equivalent to that on the Democratic side.
Debra Shea
