She replied with a venomous diatribe about the evils of liberals and how it was okay for them tobash Bush, but now that the shoe was on the other foot, hated the Obama attacks. Acussed me of some horrible things, and swore not only not to mail me this stuff again, but that she'd never email me again at all. That I shouldn't bother to reply because she wouldn't read it.
Wow. Harsh, reactionary and even violent. All because I tried to point out that I was intentionally NOT bashing anyone! Ferdryinoutloud already I'm a Buddhist, it's not in my view of the 'Verse to go about launching negative energy hither and yon. I don't care what someone labels themselves or each other, but draw the line at having them force their views, especially really negative ones down my throat. I'm neither liberal, nor conservative, Republican or Democrat, and I'm tired of the constantly shifting blame game.
I don't care whose doing it, talking trash about politics and how dark everything looks only begets more of the same. Why make things worse?!? Right now I'm focusing on healing and growth, and NOT welcoming more trump and pain into my life.
Frankly the entire US socio-political-economic system is in deep trouble and needs healing and growth. I don't care who did what to whom, why, or what you call it. Stop focusing on blame and work together on fixing it! If you don't have anything good or constructive to say, then please, by all means keep your own counsel and let folks work in peace.
All the political parties and vitriol labeled as "free speech" is just more lies covering violence with the Constitution. I don't want or need to hear it. As my father used to say, "don't go away mad, just go away" cause I don't want to play. Or as Sandra Bullock said in Demolition Man "Can we just dump some hormones!"
Don't be bashing anyone around me, regardless of who, what, or why. Life is hard enough at times without bringing more suffering by causing others pain with "Free Speech" because it's anything but!
4 comments:
I'm not gay, but I wouldn't kick Sandra Bullock outta my bed.
As for everything else, put me down as "agreed."
Bashing for sour grapes is agreeably annoying.
I've been putting off a post about education, however, that's near and dear to me. I voted for Obama, but I'm not happy with the language coming out of Washington regarding the ideas for education reform.
The phrase, "Our children deserve a 21st Century education," sounds great and all, but then it's followed up with more emphasis on higher test scores at younger ages, with teachers being held accountable, and parents being called upon to get their young children up to speed if the school systems can't fit it all into their days. Seems pretty more of the same as the Bush Administration, and at the end of the line, we're dumping the burden of increased test scores onto three-year-old children.
I'd hoped to hear ideas from this Administration for TRUE reform, acknowledging that not all children learn the same way, at the same pace, and just because they don't kick it into gear until age nine does not mean they are genetically predisposed to lower abilities. To the contrary, I think late bloomers do extraordinary work.
I'd hoped that this Administration would have said, "Maybe we have lower scores at younger ages, but it's the quality of character and understanding of the knowledge they receive that makes the difference in the long term. We don't want to just crank out good testers. We want to present the world with astonishing, compassionate, innovative individuals."
I'd wished that our culture would have once again embraced the value of playtime learning, and yes, learning how to read is important, but not at the expense of learning how to appreciate living along the way.
But it looks like we just want to pretend that high scores in math and reading are the only benchmarks for a successful society.
So, I have issues with this administration. The problem is that everything got broken the last eight years, so the experts are experts of a broken system. Their advice is not particularly well informed, and I'm suspicious of all folks in former leadership positions, how they got there, how they stayed there, and what are their motivations for quoting their 'studies' to enforce their particular ideas for doing things.
But Obama doesn't have a hundred heads.
He has to trust that some experts really are experts, and his Achilles heel is that he assumes the experts bred out of the Ivy League schools are indisputable.
I'd argue that they've become overly confident, lacking in personal experience.
I'd argue that they base too much of their findings upon preferences of the status quo.
So I'm like you. I tend to favor the idealism of a particular side, but function best when addressing an issue from all angles before making a decision. I think this reflects a truly well balanced education...and I didn't know how to read when I went to Kindergarten.
I don't think Obama has had the chance to speak with someone like me. I have to think he'd listen and absorb it all. I think he'd even be moved by Jack's story and work toward a special system that gives lenience to late blooming academics. Maybe I should just write him a letter. Or stop by some time and help Michelle weed her garden while I share my opinions.
I at least feel confident that this Administration would listen.
It's Okay to disagree. We shouldn't go picking fights, but we should make sure Obama stays well informed.
Unfortunately, too many folks don't know how to communicate without yelling.
I blame the last eight years on that, too.
Good post, though. I hope your friend chills out a little, but I know that's asking a lot.
I couldn't say it any better. In fact I've been trying to figure out how to word it. I honestly wish Obama would speak with folks like you, like us.
Yeah, the yelling, Oy! So much screaming that it makes my head hurt. People like that make my head hurt. More than my head even, my soul aches. I'm less interested in assigning blame than I am interested in finding a way out of the darkness. I just feel like we are in the minority.
I agree we've over mortgaged our future b y destroying the educational system in the US. It's been going for longer than the last eight years and it breaks my heart.
I too have great jope that someone is goping to start listening, because finally enough of us are talking about these issues. Plus, Obama is most certainly not part of the "Old Boys Club" that has been running things far too long.
As to the experts, they are like numbers. Torture them enough and they'll say anything you want to hear, worse, throw enough money at them, and same thing happens.
I thought I was going to quote Mark Twain here (and in a roundabout way, I will):
"Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
I think I need to read up on Disraeli...
Or there's always Will Rogers:
"If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging."
Or maybe more appropo to our times, again from Will:
"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."
Me, I got introduced to my first fence by my wife! She stood there smiling and said "Come here, honey" and like a fool, I did. Not knowing the hand behind her back already had ahold of it...
alan
Post a Comment