The time of hate.
No pictures today, boys and girls, just a rant about hate. For instance, Obama is basically hated by the right. Bush was hated by the left, but I can’t recall the rhetoric reaching the hate levels it has with Obama. The recent attempt at igniting a bomb on the plane over Detroit on Christmas day, and the subsequent hate filled nonsense spewed by the right wing of the Republican party, is a perfect illustration. We heard, “Where was Obama? It took him 72 hours before he addressed the nation?” They seem to conveniently forget Bush didn’t address the nation until six days after the shoe bomber. Let’s see: 6 X 24 = 144 hours. Seems to me that’s twice as long. Then they are weeping, wailing and gnashing teeth over Obama wanting the terrorist tried in court, again, conveniently forgetting that is what happened to the shoe bomber, who is now in prison. And it’s not all the right who are guilty of injecting hate into political discussions, or any other, discussions. Good old Hollywood is well known for attacking politicians who disagree with their left wing agendas. For instance, their support of Polanski, who had sex with an underage girl, and fled the country after being convicted, is totally unacceptable. Johnny Depp, while living in France is his right, knocks this country by saying it is too screwed up to raise his children in. Hey, Johnny, become part of the solution, not the quitter.
Then there are the movies: Avatar, The Golden Compass, etc . . . all received attention by the right as attempts to further attack Christianity, or make this country look bad. They’re movies, people. That they may or may not have hidden agendas may be true, but they’re still just movies. I had a friend, who considers himself an independent, tell me he wouldn’t watch the Golden Compass because it is a direct attack on Christianity. I asked him how he came to that conclusion. His response was he read numerous reviews of it and came to that conclusion via them. I saw the movie, and while it wasn’t the best I’ve seen, I would hardly call it an attack on Christianity, unless you call the dark ages a good time for Christians. It makes me wonder what some of these people do for fun, or if they have any fun at all. I’m sure if I watched every movie ever produced with the sole intent of finding something that attacked religion, politics, human suffering, Ad nauseam, I could find it. And that these people have a large voice to echo their hate scares me. Do they never just go to a movie to enjoy it?
It seems the last half the the previous decade, and the start of this one, has been inundated with nothing but hate. I find that entirely unacceptable. My memory of twelve years of Catholic school, and the lessons on love, not hate, has served me well. Christianity itself, via Christ, teaches love, not hate. Why has that changed? Why do Christians think their beliefs are being undermined by the left? I can only guess they are victims of this gang mentality, whose only object is to gain a foothold in politics, and bring their religion in with them. The founding fathers were well aware of what effect religion can have on society, and put into the Constitution of the United States laws strictly forbidding it. What the right wing of the Republican party can’t, or wont, realize is the fact they are the ones fomenting hate by doing and saying the things they do. And the left isn’t doing much better by laughing at them.
Sadly, I don’t see it changing, and expect it to get worse, until some day people will die because of the words of hate preached by both sides. And that is not the America I fought for many years ago in the fields of a foreign country. It is nothing better than the regimes we call radical. It seems we have met the enemy, and it is us.
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Too true.
We are indeed the enemy.
But can we make peace with ourselves before it is too late?
Is it so hard to accept that other people are different and to let them be that way without killing them, or shoving your own beliefs down their throats?
For some, it’s not only hard. It’s impossible.
Making peace with yourself is always the first step. How else can one point out the foolishness of those who hate?
As for people accepting differences: look at any group of individuals, ask them their concept of hate, and all will virtually use some one or group as examples of hate. The people I have the most problem with, I’ll call CINO-Christian in name only. They attempt to use their religion as a pass to denigrate anyone not on their wavelength.
I wouldn’t use the word hate in referring to them, but disrespect does come to mind. My point is examples of both hate groups and those who hate are, today, everywhere. That’s sad.
Anonymity of the Web and as you said mob mentality make people think it is OK.
Its not that the Dems did it any less, but as you say, it seems that the level continues to grow.
It does seem no one is responsible anymore for what they say. People like Bill O’Reilly and Ann Coulter, with their penchant for stroking the fires of hate, will be the first to tell you you’re trying to trample their first amendment rights to say the crap they do. Even when their words end in the murder of someone, like Tiller, they condemn those who condemn their hate filled words. It would seem both responsibility and common sense have left for places unknown.
I, too, have been amazed at the level of hate coming from the right. I grew up in the church and my old youth leader posts horrible things on Facebook about Obama. My aunt, who is the wife of a minister, posted a “divorce letter” from the right to the left in which they divided up the nation. It was horribly mean spirited and espoused the OPPOSITE of Jesus’s teachings. I called her out on it and she said, “Sorry to see you switched sides. Please don’t comment on the things I post.” My dad, never a political activist, says mean things about Obama that I know he doesn’t even understand. People I respected as Christians say hateful, ignorant things about Obama and when asked questions, they immediately begin to attack me, assuming that since I don’t agree 100% with them, I must be the enemy, too.
It’s scary. It’s sad. It’s not a good sign.
I don’t know if there is an answer. I’m a political science major – maybe I’ll figure it out. If I do, I’ll let you know.
You know, on the subject of hate and Obama, I don’t know if there is a real answer. Certainly racism comes into play, even as the haters deny it. How else can one justify the continued questioning his allegiance to the country he is President of? Regardless of what he says, there are those who will find some reason to attack him on it.
If you recall his asking people to do something as minute as checking tire pressure, and the derision he got from the right, what else is one to conclude? I have no doubt if he said the sun rises in the east ans sets in the west, he would be slammed by the right for saying it.It’s like these idiots wake up in the morning, take a shit, drink a cup of coffee, brush their teeth and bash Obama. It’s no longer a political discourse, but a hate fest. I can just imagine what God’s going to say to them when it’s their time to stand before Him. I doubt He’s going to say, “Nice going.”
The hatred was also vile toward Bush. The issue was the Right didn’t call the left on it as much b/c the right didn’t like Bush either
While I agree the level toward Obama is greater, however it was pretty high before, you just weren’t looking for it.
No doubt. I wrote a letter to the editor of this towns’ paper condemning pictures of Obama with a hitler mustache, and said I also condemned the left when they did the same thing to Bush. I fully recognize both parties are to be held in contempt when they go overboard in the hate department, and I condemn both for doing so.
I recognized the hate when Bush was in office, just as I recognize it now that Obama is in office. Hate is hate regardless of who’s doing the hating. Perhaps I should have made my views clearer on that subject.
But it is today, not yesterday, and Obama is the president, and I do fear for his life. I believe Tiller was murdered because of the right wing rhetoric coming from the radio pundits such as O’Reilly; and their continued use of the first amendment as a shield for their hate-filled rhetoric is downright scary. There are serious fanatics out there, and they’ll stop at nothing in attempting to get their message/agenda across, and many of them are American citizens. And it’s doing no one any good, Republican, Democrat or Independent.
Politics in America is a little different than in Australia. We are pretty much brought up to hate both sides. Though I don’t like using the word “hate” so much as “pull the piss”. Whoever is in power in Australia gets a blasting from the general public. You hear it in cafes, around the tables. An Aussie pastime. No one is every happy with how the country is being run and by whom.
. The lines between our political parties are so mixed it isn’t down to whether you are a Liberal or a Labor it’s down to who you like better or who is the least ugly. Because , lets face it, they aren’t about the people. That is some friggin ideology that has long gone.
You will often see me pull the piss on Obama (and Bush too) but it isn’t due to hate, it is how we discuss politics. It’s not about whether I am for the “Red” or for the “blue” it’s about getting a discussion started. I very rarely right about politics now because it is such a sensitive topic (wrapped up in PC now there is an African American heading the country) that the Aussie humor falls a little flat and usually ends up offending. Much like the KFC commercial blahahahah.
We have compulsory voting, I just go for the best looking one
Government should be about the people and for the people. It ain’t none of that, it is full of hidden agendas, handshakes under tables and the push for a One World Order.
Geez,said my peace, now can i go back to piss pulling please
I wonder how our politicians would handle it if they were subject to to intense questioning like the British parliamentary have to go through. Or the question periods by the press the Canadians have to go through. My guess is none would be able to. Well, Frankin comes to mind. Cool mind there
Yes, I think politicians should be accountable. Though I must say releasing the Lockerbie bomber was disgraceful yet managed to disappear from the radar very quickly.
We occasionally have referendums where the entire population votes eg Daylight savings, longer shopping hours, Australia becoming a republic. It is majority wins yes/no type thing. Unfortunately with the size your country it would be impossible to manage.
[...] this cartoon. Notice the acronym is F.I.B. Also interesting are Jammer’s posts on hatred and how the fringe becomes the mainstream. The only real error that I saw in the last post is [...]
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