All logic is gone in this country and not in a good way. At least it feels that way to me, and I happily include myself in this statement. Bluntly, I really don't care about the actual "logic" (or illogic, really) part of it, except to say that it is what's feeding this huge emotional, reactionary shitwad of unpleasantness.
It isn't new that we all have differing opinions. It isn't new that we are treating each other poorly. It isn't new that our stress levels are maxed out. What is new is that we are all so divided that instead of sweeping things under rugs, pretending that certain opinions don't exist so that we can get through Christmas dinner relatively unscathed or ignoring that proverbial elephant (or donkey) in the room to preserve some sort of mental stability, all we are doing is talking! And it isn't healthy talking. It is Jerry Springer talking. Good-hearted, moral people are acting two and are speaking over, pointing fingers, and loudly yelling at other good-hearted, moral people who have their fingers in their ears, who are yelling "lalalalalala I can't hear you lalalalala." And then a timer goes off and the (non)listeners become the talkers and the talkers insert fingers into their ears. Isn't what I've just described one of the circles of hell in the Inferno?
The worst part is that some of us are listening and it is making us so incredibly sad that we just want to crawl under rocks and die a little. Some of us are learning things about our loved ones that we didn't want to know. Some of us are being heinously mistreated by those loved ones. People we had higher hopes for are disappointing us left(wing) and right(wing).
Please understand that healthy talk is a good thing. Maybe not within families... But can't we all just shut the hell up for a minute? Imagine what the world would be like if everyone just shut their freaking pie holes for one. whole. minute. SHHHHHH!
But we can't do it.
And I think that really makes God sad.
(If you've neverread the Twilight Zone screen play, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", you should. That would give you a pretty accurate illustration of what's happening here.)
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Loud Logical Fallacies
All logic is gone in this country and not in a good way. At least it feels that way to me, and I happily include myself in this statement. Bluntly, I really don't care about the actual "logic" (or illogic, really) part of it, except to say that it is what's feeding this huge emotional, reactionary shitwad of unpleasantness.
It isn't new that we all have differing opinions. It isn't new that we are treating each other poorly. It isn't new that our stress levels are maxed out. What is new is that we are all so divided that instead of sweeping things under rugs, pretending that certain opinions don't exist so that we can get through Christmas dinner relatively unscathed or ignoring that proverbial elephant (or donkey) in the room to preserve some sort of mental stability, all we are doing is talking! And it isn't healthy talking. It is Jerry Springer talking. Good-hearted, moral people are acting two and are speaking over, pointing fingers, and loudly yelling at other good-hearted, moral people who have their fingers in their ears, who are yelling "lalalalalala I can't hear you lalalalala." And then a timer goes off and the (non)listeners become the talkers and the talkers insert fingers into their ears. Isn't what I've just described one of the circles of hell in the Inferno?
The worst part is that some of us are listening and it is making us so incredibly sad that we just want to crawl under rocks and die a little. Some of us are learning things about our loved ones that we didn't want to know. Some of us are being heinously mistreated by those loved ones. People we had higher hopes for are disappointing us left(wing) and right(wing).
Please understand that healthy talk is a good thing. Maybe not within families... But can't we all just shut the hell up for a minute? Imagine what the world would be like if everyone just shut their freaking pie holes for one. whole. minute. SHHHHHH!
But we can't do it.
And I think that really makes God sad.
(If you've neverread the Twilight Zone screen play, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", you should. That would give you a pretty accurate illustration of what's happening here.)
It isn't new that we all have differing opinions. It isn't new that we are treating each other poorly. It isn't new that our stress levels are maxed out. What is new is that we are all so divided that instead of sweeping things under rugs, pretending that certain opinions don't exist so that we can get through Christmas dinner relatively unscathed or ignoring that proverbial elephant (or donkey) in the room to preserve some sort of mental stability, all we are doing is talking! And it isn't healthy talking. It is Jerry Springer talking. Good-hearted, moral people are acting two and are speaking over, pointing fingers, and loudly yelling at other good-hearted, moral people who have their fingers in their ears, who are yelling "lalalalalala I can't hear you lalalalala." And then a timer goes off and the (non)listeners become the talkers and the talkers insert fingers into their ears. Isn't what I've just described one of the circles of hell in the Inferno?
The worst part is that some of us are listening and it is making us so incredibly sad that we just want to crawl under rocks and die a little. Some of us are learning things about our loved ones that we didn't want to know. Some of us are being heinously mistreated by those loved ones. People we had higher hopes for are disappointing us left(wing) and right(wing).
Please understand that healthy talk is a good thing. Maybe not within families... But can't we all just shut the hell up for a minute? Imagine what the world would be like if everyone just shut their freaking pie holes for one. whole. minute. SHHHHHH!
But we can't do it.
And I think that really makes God sad.
(If you've neverread the Twilight Zone screen play, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", you should. That would give you a pretty accurate illustration of what's happening here.)
1 comment:
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Christine said...
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Thanks for this post, Ginger. We really do share a brain. It's difficult for me to balance shutting the hell up and responding to comments that I feel need a response. Or do they? Maybe it is best to just never talk about it so I don't end up thinking poorly of people I love. But what do I do when they start the conversation and I really do care? When something so horrid is said that I can't sit idly by as the comment lingers there? This is why my heart hurts. I'm actively trying to NOT put my fingers in my ears -- the opposite, really -- and as you said it has made me so very sad (and I have wanted to crawl under a rock -- or in my case, my bedspread -- in response). I don't know how or if to respond because I'm afraid I'm losing something important here, though I'm not sure what it is... my respect for people who are important to me, a sense of validation from people I love, my integrity, my mind. I know that things that annoy me are a chance to awaken my compassion. Sleeping is so much easier, but I'm trying!!
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October 14, 2008 at 6:25 PM
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1 comment:
Thanks for this post, Ginger. We really do share a brain. It's difficult for me to balance shutting the hell up and responding to comments that I feel need a response. Or do they? Maybe it is best to just never talk about it so I don't end up thinking poorly of people I love. But what do I do when they start the conversation and I really do care? When something so horrid is said that I can't sit idly by as the comment lingers there? This is why my heart hurts. I'm actively trying to NOT put my fingers in my ears -- the opposite, really -- and as you said it has made me so very sad (and I have wanted to crawl under a rock -- or in my case, my bedspread -- in response). I don't know how or if to respond because I'm afraid I'm losing something important here, though I'm not sure what it is... my respect for people who are important to me, a sense of validation from people I love, my integrity, my mind. I know that things that annoy me are a chance to awaken my compassion. Sleeping is so much easier, but I'm trying!!
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