Religion & Politics

1. 67

   Jessie L Watsonposted 7 years ago

   I've always found the sentiment of never talking about politics or religion with peers to be quite a large shortcoming of our culture with everlasting consequences.
   
   Outside your menial responsibilities and daily habits, politics and religion are the most relevant things a society can talk about. It just seems appalling to me that people would rather ignore these subjects than articulate them and master them. Mastering them doesn't just mean becoming an expert. It means also talking about them with some degree of civility and emotional restraint.
   
   Even so, today's political discussions are probably more salient than any other point in our history. It's as if generation after generation of pent-up, unarticulated frustration is finally coming to a head. But its seriously lacking in depth and coherence. It's because no one bothered to talk about it with any degree of effort for so long.
   
   "oh, I never talk about politics or religion"
   
   That's because you either....
   
   (a) are afraid to look at what matters to you because that means you have to consciously bear the consequences of what you believe
   
   (b) haven't made any effort to personally describe how the world appears to you. Most of your beliefs are plagiarized from pop culture and/or mainstream media. You can't defend something you never actually thought about to begin with.
   
   (c) you're traumatized by the constant outrage of people with zero awareness of their own behavior (I sympathize)

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   1. 81

      Credence2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Your 3 examples do not apply to me. I am well aware of what going on and have defined and studied opinions to support my way of thinking.
      
      When I interact with people, there is not always the need to find points of argument or controversy. I can sit down with a stranger at an I-hop in Hays, Kansas sharing conversation over flapjacks and coffee. We knew that, I, passing through the area, coming from Southern California, and he as a local resident would not likely share the same political viewpoints. But, I was not there to argue but to share some pleasantries with another human being outside my realm of experience. Are we allowed to do that?

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      1. 67

         Jessie L Watsonposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         Of course, there are exceptions. I'm not unreasonable. And, so far as I can tell, you do very well at speaking about what you believe. I think you're a good writer and I've already learned a few things from you. That's an ideal outcome if there ever was one.

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         1. 81

            Credence2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

            "Of course, there are exceptions. I'm not unreasonable. And, so far as I can tell, you do very well at speaking about what you believe. I think you're a good writer and I've already learned a few things from you. That's an ideal outcome if there ever was one."
            
            Thanks, Jessie.
            
            I think you were talking about the sort that lack the courage of his or her convictions. I find such people irritating. Those that make bold assertions, yet disappear when pressed to explain or support them. I believe that we are learning from each other, Jessie. I hope that this forum can serve in this capacity beyond the usual drag down and knock out exchanges. My writing ability has always been a work in progress.... again, thanks, all the same.

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2. 73

   Aime Fposted 7 years ago

   Some people do just prefer to keep opinions on certain topics to themselves, which is fine. I’m a pretty open book and will discuss almost anything with anyone but if other people don’t want to share their opinions with me I’m not bothered, nor do I assume it’s for any of the reasons you listed.

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   1. 67

      Jessie L Watsonposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I basically study people for a living. So, I am more or less obligated to make assertions about why people do or don't do certain things. I half expected this thread to reach the people who are already embroiled in such things on a regular basis.
      
      Intellectuals run into all sorts of problems...because we're insufferable intellectuals hahaha. To my defense, the internet has made it very difficult to get certain points across without triggering people. I just wanted to emphasize the importance of discourse, self-reflection, and education.

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      1. 73

         Aime Fposted 7 years agoin reply to this

         That’s fine. I’m just adding that some people are more comfortable not sharing certain things and it doesn’t necessarily have to do with anything you’ve listed. There are countless reasons people might not want to discuss politics or religion that don’t necessarily mean they’re not being educated or indulging in self-reflection.

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         1. 67

            Jessie L Watsonposted 7 years agoin reply to this

            Who do you speak for exactly? An average demographic? Or just yourself?
            
            And why do you think people are not comfortable sharing certain things? That's precisely what I have speculated. Having said that, I could probably spend an hour listing many more potential reasons but I boiled them down to 3 because that's what I do. I try to simplify things.
            
            I'm not sure what point you're making or what reason you have to say what you're saying. I didn't post this so someone could tell me about all these other cavalier reasons why people don't engage in dialogue. It's beside the point I was making. The world isn't a cavalier, ho-hum, ambivalent place anyway. If it were, I wouldn't be speaking much. I posted it to try and understand something myself. Thinking out loud, you might say. I'm looking at kinks in the hose in hopes that someone will help me figure out how to unkink them, not trivialize them.

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            1. 73

               Aime Fposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               It’s interesting to me that my responses actually fall pretty closely to what Credence said (and my point was essentially the same) and yet your tone addressing each of us is very different.
               
               Oh well, just pretend I never said anything.

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               1. 67

                  Jessie L Watsonposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  Credence and I have been carrying on for a couple days already on another thread. So there's more history there.
                  
                  I don't believe I have a tone. Don't mistake disagreement with tone. I don't know you. You just showed up and stated the obvious. I felt very calm and comported writing my response.

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                  1. 73

                     Aime Fposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                     I apologize that my response was not up to your standards. I’ll try harder to up the intellectualism in the future. Thank you for your valuable feedback.

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                     1. 67

                        Jessie L Watsonposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                        I have no intention of setting any standards.

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               2. 67

                  Jessie L Watsonposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  What if I showed up on one of your articles and commented something like "yeah well, there's a big wide world out there full of different things". Its not offensive per se, it's just unnecessary, IMO. Why bother restating what someone else says anyway?

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                  1. 73

                     Aime Fposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                     I... I don’t know how to talk to you.

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                     1. 67

                        Jessie L Watsonposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                        The feeling's mutual. No hard feelings I guess.
                        
                        My take away from this conversation is that I should structure my posts a little clearer. My mistake today was not explicitly excluding the more serene or nuanced moments of conversation in life.
                        
                        Credence mentioned iHop or something. Is that really what people think I'm referring to?  If so, then I need to be more concise in the future.
                        
                        At the end of the day, it's all writing practice.

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            2. 81

               Credence2posted 7 years agoin reply to this

               Jessie, I really don't think that Aime F. is being evasive in her response, she is basically saying what I do, that there is an appropriate time and place for everything. She is more than prepared to give you 'both barrels' if you are asking for it. I have had a little 'history' with her.
               
               We had a tete a tete regarding differing opinions on the current state of the 'millennial' generation, and she held her own pretty well.

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               1. 73

                  Aime Fposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks, Cred. I’m glad you get me.
                  

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