- Joined
- Feb 14, 2003
It's not for you or anyone else to determine the direction a thread moves in. Threads, like any conversations, frequently move off of their original focus onto new topics. That is the nature of human conversation.
Life would be pretty boring if intellectual debate stopped after college. Maybe it has for you, but not for me. It's something that will continue to be a part of my life as long as I'm alive.
Truth DOES matter to me. Maybe to you it doesn't, and you only want "sprinkles" of truth, but I prefer to seek out and defend the truth. You sound more like a politician, who changes his views to suit his personal interests. At least politicians have a good excuse for doing so: keeping their jobs.
I'm not "mouthing off". I'm making an argument for my point of view, which is perfectly normal thing to do in the real world or online, and I absolutely have made this argument in real life. As for the guy who got stabbed, while it sucks for him, I admire people that stick by their convictions and aren't intimidated. He was right to make the request he made. The lesson to be learned there is not to remain silent and cower in the corner hoping no one hurts you. The lesson to be learned is that you have to stand up for what you believe in, even if it upsets people sometimes, and that if more people did, the world would be a better place. Sometimes people get hurt, but that's not a good reason to be silenced, or you live in a state ruled by fear and intimidation, certainly not one in which I want to live. Freedom of expression is a basic tenet of American life. As they say in New Hampshire, "Live Free or Die", which is what being an American is all about.
Besides, this is hardly an argument that many people would come to blows over. However, there are things I say and do in real life as a non profit volunteer that do put me in real danger sometimes because it's what I believe in. These aren't arguments about statistical studies either.
While you think people lack the forbearance of previous generations, I disagree completely. People today are more apathetic and lack the courage and conviction of previous generations. Crimes happen and people keep walking, and say they didn't see anything. People allow evil to happen in the world around them for fear of reprisal. If you don't defend freedom, you won't have it.
Courtesy is a good thing. Lying or abandoning your convictions out of fear you might get someone mad at you is not a good thing.
Life would be pretty boring if intellectual debate stopped after college. Maybe it has for you, but not for me. It's something that will continue to be a part of my life as long as I'm alive.
Truth DOES matter to me. Maybe to you it doesn't, and you only want "sprinkles" of truth, but I prefer to seek out and defend the truth. You sound more like a politician, who changes his views to suit his personal interests. At least politicians have a good excuse for doing so: keeping their jobs.
I'm not "mouthing off". I'm making an argument for my point of view, which is perfectly normal thing to do in the real world or online, and I absolutely have made this argument in real life. As for the guy who got stabbed, while it sucks for him, I admire people that stick by their convictions and aren't intimidated. He was right to make the request he made. The lesson to be learned there is not to remain silent and cower in the corner hoping no one hurts you. The lesson to be learned is that you have to stand up for what you believe in, even if it upsets people sometimes, and that if more people did, the world would be a better place. Sometimes people get hurt, but that's not a good reason to be silenced, or you live in a state ruled by fear and intimidation, certainly not one in which I want to live. Freedom of expression is a basic tenet of American life. As they say in New Hampshire, "Live Free or Die", which is what being an American is all about.
Besides, this is hardly an argument that many people would come to blows over. However, there are things I say and do in real life as a non profit volunteer that do put me in real danger sometimes because it's what I believe in. These aren't arguments about statistical studies either.
While you think people lack the forbearance of previous generations, I disagree completely. People today are more apathetic and lack the courage and conviction of previous generations. Crimes happen and people keep walking, and say they didn't see anything. People allow evil to happen in the world around them for fear of reprisal. If you don't defend freedom, you won't have it.
Courtesy is a good thing. Lying or abandoning your convictions out of fear you might get someone mad at you is not a good thing.
We're big fans of creating new threads (with our big bag o' tools if need be) when the topic sufficiently diverges.
