My thanks as well. I’m neither liberal or conservative, but I give a damn about people, and what happens to them. I believe in nuanced ideas, there are no absolutes, except not to be an amoral asshole. Keep fighting the good fight Corey.
This is another essay that I related to a lot. I did some reflection on my reply to the granny post and some others where I type like a page. If something hits me in my feels and I have a similar experience, I don't have that filter to just say, "great essay, loved it." Especially when given a forum to reply. I really hope I'm not coming off as obnoxious when I do send long replies. If I am, just make a comment on my post to which I will reply, "great comment, loved it."
As another person who lives in a very red area in a reddish state, I have the same conversations with the same people Corey is talking about here. During an in-person conversation about the issues, me a liberal and them conservative, we agree about 90% of the time. All the disagreements are on the margins, one direction or the other. But we mostly agree.
The trans issue is one that comes up often. My usual response is, do you know a trans person? The answer is always no. Has a trans person ever demanded that you refer to them in a certain way? The answer is always no. Does this issue affect your life in any way? Answer, no. Because of course the answer is no. There just ain't a lot of trans people out there to begin with and the vast majority, if you accidentally misgendered them, wouldn't even say anything. Especially to someone they don't know.
Most times, they agree with that. And then their retort has something to do with litter boxes in school bathrooms for kids who identify as cats and people who identify as tree. I literally had someone say to me, "I ain't never gonna call no they a they because that butchers the English language and it ain't right."
My point being, it ain't an issue anybody thinks about in their daily lives. All the wrong things consistently get shoved into people earholes because that puts eyeballs on tv screens, on computer screens. Now I'm sure there are asshole trans people who call people out at the grocery store for misgendering them by accident. I'm sure there are a lot of "snowflakes" who hear a joke and get all up in arms because the misunderstood the context.
But these are all minor things that effect a very few people. It keeps everyone from actually educating themselves on the shit that affects everybody. Doesn't mean we should ignore bigotry or discrimination. We should fight hard against it. But we can't get all wrapped up in distractions.
Corey is about to have a baby. That baby is gonna cry. Not just for the hell of it, but because that baby is communicating a need. Corey will have a couple of choices. He could throw a bunch of toys in the crib. He could make funny faces and show shiny objects. And that will stop it, for a little while.
And that is a big problem in American politics. We are a bunch of babies with shit in our diapers trying to communicate that and the response is, "hey, look at this shiny thing." America has a diaper rash, is what I'm saying.
I completely agree with you. Civil discourse with those who appear to think differently is the only thing that can cure the country. Some people don't want to talk. They want to yell and be mad. I move on from them. But there are rich life moments in civil conversations. Thank you for writing this.
10 years ago I had to explain to a Texas teen that it was insensitive to refer to it as the "chink market". People brought to the country to fill in jobs , chinking, filling in the gaps..he had NO idea.
I wish to God someone (someone who might be listened to) would come up with an accurate, easily-understood definition of "liberal" and "conservative." These are words are hurled back and forth like shitballs in a playground fight. To the people who do the throwing, "liberal" and "conservative" mean as much as "dickbrain" and "poophead."
I don't call this intelligent discourse. It's nasty, childish, and I'm sick of it. I don't know how many pundits I've written to, asking to please, PLEASE publish a rational definition of "liberal" and "conservative" (No answers yet.)
The best I've been able to come up with myself, is the following: To the conservatives, a liberal is someone who wants to raise taxes to help poor people who don't deserve it. To liberals, a conservative is someone who wants to lower taxes to help rich people who don't need it.
As for the meanness -- I think it is partly the result of being held hostage (mentally) by the advertising industry.
Where did we used to find our values? Church and school. Maybe these values were narrow and sometimes punitive, but they were something to guide you through life -- and they were meant to be taught and absorbed inside.
Today, what tells us who to be and even more, how to appear? Advertising -- endless, inescapable advertising -- buy a jar of this and you'll be BETTER. Being in America is being subject to an incessant hold-up -- give us some money and we might leave you alone for five minutes. It's like being flogged by a rubber chicken, all day, every day.
TV, radio and Internet all depend on advertising money in order to exist. Media tells us what to think, and advertising tells us how to look on the outside. The right appearance has become a virtue.
Political opinion has become another item to be sold and that brings me to the concept of marketing and Rush Limbaugh (and his ilk).
I blame a lot of the national meanness on talk radio. I seriously wonder if Rush Limbaugh ever believed one word that left his hyperactive mouth -- or was he paid to say those things? He found a huge audience of people who felt angry, ignored, and scorned by the "elite," people who were probably still mad at their high-school English teacher for giving them a "D." Huge audience = marketing group. Let's pay for Rush Limbaugh and his pseudo-political drool!
If PBS had been able to come up with the cash, I bet Limbaugh would have become a liberal commentator overnight!
Talk radio hosts and now, podcasters, preach to the converted. The larger the number of converted, the larger the market, the more advertising revenue.
And people who feel left out of the so-called American Dream, feel like they've been given permission to be angry at last, which leads to vicious name-calling.
Side-product -- the meanness. And dare I suggest it? insurrection?
As for liberals, a lot of them need to develop a sense of humor. I suspect that many liberals are so in love with their enlightened views that they can't stop talking about them. They need to listen.
Well, enough of this prattle. Keep writing, cho-daddy.
My thanks as well. I’m neither liberal or conservative, but I give a damn about people, and what happens to them. I believe in nuanced ideas, there are no absolutes, except not to be an amoral asshole. Keep fighting the good fight Corey.
And yet again, spot on
+1 to pretty much all the other comments. Excellent essay.
This is another essay that I related to a lot. I did some reflection on my reply to the granny post and some others where I type like a page. If something hits me in my feels and I have a similar experience, I don't have that filter to just say, "great essay, loved it." Especially when given a forum to reply. I really hope I'm not coming off as obnoxious when I do send long replies. If I am, just make a comment on my post to which I will reply, "great comment, loved it."
As another person who lives in a very red area in a reddish state, I have the same conversations with the same people Corey is talking about here. During an in-person conversation about the issues, me a liberal and them conservative, we agree about 90% of the time. All the disagreements are on the margins, one direction or the other. But we mostly agree.
The trans issue is one that comes up often. My usual response is, do you know a trans person? The answer is always no. Has a trans person ever demanded that you refer to them in a certain way? The answer is always no. Does this issue affect your life in any way? Answer, no. Because of course the answer is no. There just ain't a lot of trans people out there to begin with and the vast majority, if you accidentally misgendered them, wouldn't even say anything. Especially to someone they don't know.
Most times, they agree with that. And then their retort has something to do with litter boxes in school bathrooms for kids who identify as cats and people who identify as tree. I literally had someone say to me, "I ain't never gonna call no they a they because that butchers the English language and it ain't right."
My point being, it ain't an issue anybody thinks about in their daily lives. All the wrong things consistently get shoved into people earholes because that puts eyeballs on tv screens, on computer screens. Now I'm sure there are asshole trans people who call people out at the grocery store for misgendering them by accident. I'm sure there are a lot of "snowflakes" who hear a joke and get all up in arms because the misunderstood the context.
But these are all minor things that effect a very few people. It keeps everyone from actually educating themselves on the shit that affects everybody. Doesn't mean we should ignore bigotry or discrimination. We should fight hard against it. But we can't get all wrapped up in distractions.
Corey is about to have a baby. That baby is gonna cry. Not just for the hell of it, but because that baby is communicating a need. Corey will have a couple of choices. He could throw a bunch of toys in the crib. He could make funny faces and show shiny objects. And that will stop it, for a little while.
And that is a big problem in American politics. We are a bunch of babies with shit in our diapers trying to communicate that and the response is, "hey, look at this shiny thing." America has a diaper rash, is what I'm saying.
I completely agree with you. Civil discourse with those who appear to think differently is the only thing that can cure the country. Some people don't want to talk. They want to yell and be mad. I move on from them. But there are rich life moments in civil conversations. Thank you for writing this.
So well said. I’ve been thinking this same stuff for awhile now myself but you’ve articulated it better than I could hope to. Thank you Corey
10 years ago I had to explain to a Texas teen that it was insensitive to refer to it as the "chink market". People brought to the country to fill in jobs , chinking, filling in the gaps..he had NO idea.
Thank you for writing this essay.
I wish to God someone (someone who might be listened to) would come up with an accurate, easily-understood definition of "liberal" and "conservative." These are words are hurled back and forth like shitballs in a playground fight. To the people who do the throwing, "liberal" and "conservative" mean as much as "dickbrain" and "poophead."
I don't call this intelligent discourse. It's nasty, childish, and I'm sick of it. I don't know how many pundits I've written to, asking to please, PLEASE publish a rational definition of "liberal" and "conservative" (No answers yet.)
The best I've been able to come up with myself, is the following: To the conservatives, a liberal is someone who wants to raise taxes to help poor people who don't deserve it. To liberals, a conservative is someone who wants to lower taxes to help rich people who don't need it.
As for the meanness -- I think it is partly the result of being held hostage (mentally) by the advertising industry.
Where did we used to find our values? Church and school. Maybe these values were narrow and sometimes punitive, but they were something to guide you through life -- and they were meant to be taught and absorbed inside.
Today, what tells us who to be and even more, how to appear? Advertising -- endless, inescapable advertising -- buy a jar of this and you'll be BETTER. Being in America is being subject to an incessant hold-up -- give us some money and we might leave you alone for five minutes. It's like being flogged by a rubber chicken, all day, every day.
TV, radio and Internet all depend on advertising money in order to exist. Media tells us what to think, and advertising tells us how to look on the outside. The right appearance has become a virtue.
Political opinion has become another item to be sold and that brings me to the concept of marketing and Rush Limbaugh (and his ilk).
I blame a lot of the national meanness on talk radio. I seriously wonder if Rush Limbaugh ever believed one word that left his hyperactive mouth -- or was he paid to say those things? He found a huge audience of people who felt angry, ignored, and scorned by the "elite," people who were probably still mad at their high-school English teacher for giving them a "D." Huge audience = marketing group. Let's pay for Rush Limbaugh and his pseudo-political drool!
If PBS had been able to come up with the cash, I bet Limbaugh would have become a liberal commentator overnight!
Talk radio hosts and now, podcasters, preach to the converted. The larger the number of converted, the larger the market, the more advertising revenue.
And people who feel left out of the so-called American Dream, feel like they've been given permission to be angry at last, which leads to vicious name-calling.
Side-product -- the meanness. And dare I suggest it? insurrection?
As for liberals, a lot of them need to develop a sense of humor. I suspect that many liberals are so in love with their enlightened views that they can't stop talking about them. They need to listen.
Well, enough of this prattle. Keep writing, cho-daddy.