Count the cost
You know, something’s going to have to be written someday about how in the last 10 years or so, we as a nation and as a culture have really lost the ability to disagree with one another.
I’ve seen it on as trivial a playing field as pop culture and as signifigant a one as national politics. We just don’t seem to be able to discuss things. Without people having invested so much of themselves into their favorite TV show or candidate that they can’t hear much criticism for long before bursting “shut up!”
And yeah, I think the republicans had something to do with this, specifically those who set out to make lying about a blowjob an impeachable offense. And people like Bill O’Riley, who have turned lies and bullying into an acceptabl;e excuse for discourse.
But I think the touchy-feely, “liberal” culture of the past 30 years or so helped too. Because it raised at least one generation of people who were taught that any opinion is as good as another, so why bother to develop that opinion with actual information?
This of course is what we’re seeing in George W. Bush now. He is almost blissfully uninformed, and he will not change his opinions no matter how much new information comes to light.
Anyway, you’re probably wondering what brought this on, and the answer is this: Remember a couple weeks back when Kerry was endorsed by a Crawford, TX (Bush’s “hometown”) newspaper?
Well, that paper has been paying the price. Just another example of compassionate conservatism.
