Originally Posted by MrWookie
"Definitely the way to end this tribalism is multi-thousand-word apologetics on behalf of someone who compared Mexicans to cockroaches."
Quote:
Originally Posted by forum ferret
Simplistic reasoning and convenient caricaturing of others over hypersensitivities that are however nowhere to be found in personal actions and examples of conduct to others is exactly what gave us Trump and made the work of deplorables so easy.
He never did compare them to that. He used an example that was not properly selected for sensitivity in case someone took it wrong, but he never meant it that way. And this is the bloody problem with everything taken so hysterically to the extreme, hunting cultural wars with others in everything. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. This is profoundly clear if one had observed the posts going on for weeks in that forum about neighborhood noises and inconsiderate neighbors in general regardless of ethnic group associations.
First it was all in a life being drunk easy going thread that even the mod constantly jokes about sensitive issues that can be seen as 100 times more offensive (where we know he doesn't really mean anything but hyperbole attack on hypersensitivities gone crazy, comedians do it all the time but hey then its ok?). Second he has all his life to prove that to anyone that knows him since he has always been willing to help everyone without regard to ethnic origin or race unconditionally and without any expectation of gain. How many such people you know? Those are the people in fact that can bring people together and improve their lives with wisdom and care.
You want to find racists and bigots you will find them in the politicians you see out there and even in how Trump speaks regularly. And none of this happened here. None.
But what happened instead is the remarkable exhibition of the problem of this country and the world in general. That we do not want to imagine the best in each other. We do not want to discuss and change each other's minds with decent arguments. We only want to strike and create pain. And we will fail because of this. This is why we have Trump today. Because we didnt have what it takes to focus on true hard work and stand up to our own ethics and principles when it comes to how we treat others.
Lets hope tonight's result can put a halt to the Trumpland madness but unless we find a way to come together and see the best in each other we will never be able to lead and inspire and unite a divided society because we cannot stand up to our own ethical values.
I do not intend to discuss further any of this. But we need to discuss how to treat each other if we really want to be consistent in our sensitivities and lead by example.