‘Stop the insanity!’
By Brad on Jan 26, 2009 in America, Left Wing, Oklahoma Blogosphere, Politics, Quoteworthy, Right Wing, Worth Considering | comments(5)
Dave, a.k.a. Oklahoma Lefty, laments the “vicious cycle” of polarizing and demonizing in our nation’s political discourse. He was reacting to a Red Stater post about Rush Limbaugh responding to an Obama “attack” against the right-wing crusader, in which Limbaugh declared, “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”
Now I know that Rush Limbaugh did not create this concept, it has been alive and well throughout our history, but the fact that he made it a rule for his own discourse is disturbing and frankly disgusting. Limbaugh holds lots of sway with millions of Americans and the fact that he has chosen the low road, deciding to follow a very un-Christ-like way of behaving, shows his partisan hypocrisy and shortsightedness. Instead of being the better man and standing above the fray of those who just throw insults, he has decided to lead the fray.
To those who find this type of behavior disturbing and disgusting, the way to beat it is not by joining it. Every time a liberal reacts to this type of attack discourse, they are only making the problem worse. Those who make their living off the fray, like Limbaugh, just use it as example claiming that they are the righteous and the liberals are the evil ones (and thus the liberals with the same type of mindset respond by calling Limbaugh and company evil and on and on and on). We must stop the insanity!!!
I am not saying that we shouldn’t disagree, debate, and/or have dialogues. Our country is built on the concept of debate drive compromise and that is a good and healthy thing that we must never lose. What we do need to lose though is this ridiculous way of behaving. Our civil discourse looks more like a bunch of kindergarteners fighting on the playground over the tire-swing than the workings of the greatest country in the world. Grow up people. We are better than this.
I agree, except for his very last sentence. I’m not convinced that our nation or our politics “are better than this.” There’s certainly not much evidence in recent history that would support this specific notion. We certainly should be better than this.
That point aside, Dave is spot on.
