This book is an important one for anyone interested in politics, in my opinion. This quote, though, is important right now. RIGHT now.
Politeness is dying. And it’s considerably more significant than a riot, though we’ve plenty of those, as well, despite their “mostly peaceful” monikers. While I’ve no desire to go back to a time where I would be forced to wear a corset every day and was bound to cook, clean, and bear children for my husband simply because I’m female… I do want to live in a time where doing so is not maligned or looked down upon. Or bad-mouthed.
I’m so very tired of many things right now, but the impoliteness is really getting to me right now. You can disagree with someone and be polite. It’s why the South invented the term, “Bless your heart!” Everyone knows if a Southern person says that to you, it’s the equivalent of saying to fuck off… but it’s not the SAME. It’s polite.
Why does it matter if we’re using polite language? I mean, if everyone knows that the polite language means the same thing as the brutal language, why bother to use the polite version? Because it’s social lubricant, that’s why.
Right now, the level of impoliteness is so damn bad. There’s sand in the gears, and no social lubricant at all. Important parts that really require lubrication are not getting it, and instead are being actively fed with things that gum up the works. That thin veil of politeness that was used until sometime in the 80s? That kept the machinery running. And now it isn’t. The machinery, the social machinery, is breaking down.
I will say that I noticed it first on the Right. That doesn’t mean it appeared there first, mind you… it’s just where I saw it. I ran into a couple of pundits (Ann Coulter immediately comes to mind, and Ben Shapiro from 10 years ago but NOT today) who really bothered me, and it put me off anything to do with the Right for a long time. Chris will tell you that anytime he tried to talk to me about something positive, I’d pull out, “Well, that Ann woman was just swearing and being a shit.” It was not good.
At the time, say 10 years ago, I didn’t see it on the Left. I see it daily on the Left, now. That could be entirely my perception, or it could be that the Left has gotten worse, or a combination of that and other factors, but the bottom line is that it doesn’t matter. Whether the Left learned it from the Right, or vice versa, or it all just happened at the same time, we’re here now. People are being so rude on a daily basis that it’s become endemic.
What scares me the most about all of it? America is (in my very strong opinion) the best country at the moment. We’re the most free, the most responsible (other than fiscally), the most helpful. We’re also the cheapest for our citizenry. And our people spend a good portion of their day complaining about how awful it all is. They have no idea what it’s like in other countries. Gas is $5.30 per gallon right now in Canada. In Britain it ranges from $7.50 to $8.10 per gallon. And those are the “free” countries. Housing is more expensive in Canada and Britain. Health care is, too, even if the cost is hidden. Food is ridiculously more expensive in both of those countries. Our citizens have no idea how they are faring in the world. They really don’t.
Our society is dying. If we don’t fix this soon… and by soon I mean in the next year or two at the outside… we’re not going to have a country anymore.
its all part of the division war.
personally Im done with politics. I will go vote but thats it. politics has ruined everything it touches. any person who “looks down” on me is immediately dismissed from my life. people make thier choices and I make mine. social media is not social. its a platform for angry people to take thier anger out on others without fear of a beating. the old quote is correct- if people treat you like they don’t care, believe them.
up here Im surrounded by liberals seathing with hate. I call it a target rich environment. politics is way way way down below the bottom of my list. jmho.
“Politeness is dying.”
Personally, I think it is being murdered. And social media is the murderer. Every symptom you describe is directly tracible back to social media. If you want to be an A-hole among actual humans, you will find your friendship circle shrinking almost daily. But, on socials… thousands of likes and shares by strangers that you classify as friends. Want to threaten those of a different political perspective? Do it in person, and problem… do it on-line, and you get praised.
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When the possibility of getting punched in the face for offending someone disappears due to distance, people tend to start freely offending.
Kimmel’s “expectant widow” comment at the WHCD is a good example of what I mean. The man thinks he is untouchable. After he got back on the air so quickly after the last offensive monologue, he has good reason to think that.
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Further to that point, the “joke” itself may have been funny if he was sitting around drinking a few beers with friends of similar political viewpoints. It is not funny when the President and First Lady are sitting next to you. But, since politeness is apparently a thing of the past… we get jokes about assassinating the President.
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And, what is worse is there are going to be a LOT of leftists who will defend Kimmel and dial in and watch his show. Not because they think he is funny, but because they want to do the opposite of what the right side wants.
as I have said before, liberals should read the patriot act.
if We the People actually had a justice system they would be in chains.
I don’t watch or listen to any “news” morons.
If only…
then again, rule 4 says to make your enemy live up to their rules. If we started chaining them up, it will come back at us 10 fold.
not if we chain up enough of em, heh heh.
After further consideration, I can defend Kimmel’s right to say that tasteless and inciteful “joke.” No matter how objectional the speech is, he has a fundamental human right to express his opinion.
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And, suffer the consequences of exercising that right as well. Which means, if ABC decides to cancel his show because of this, no whining. Kimmel made a choice to crack a joke that was in extremely poor taste, and could easily incite a violent response. I will not support him getting away scott free.
Cheer up Allison only about 40 to 45% of the American population can be considered DieHard liberals. There is still a very large population that you can interact with and feel comfortable. You just need to enlarge your circle of friends.