Do I need your views shoved down my throat?
Respecting dissent is a two-way street
JoeUser Forums
Why is it that the group that claims tolerance and open-mindedness as its mantra so intolerant and close minded in practice? What I speak of is the political left's tendency to interject their political beliefs into every venue that they can while at the same time, actively working to prevent those who disagree with them from having the ability to express their beliefs.
If I watch the MTV Music Awards, I can expect to have some left-winger denounce the war in Iraq. If I was the Oscars, I can expect to be treated to more anti-US policy rhetoric along with some environmentalist ranting from someone who gets around by personal jet. If I watch Comedy Central or go to a concert or buy a music album or even play an on-line game without someone telling me that their point of view (always the left-wing point of view) is the only "correct" view and those who disagree with them are mean or cruel or more commonly "ignorant".
On PowerUser.TV, we recently discussed how an anti-war protester was protesting in the video game "America's Army" (a game made by the US military as a game/recruitment tool). My response was that that user has every right to do that. But I did note the irony that the US military allows the protester their say while left-wingers work nation wide to ban military recruiters from publicly funded campuses. Tolerance, apparently, is a one-way street.
During the segment, I argued that this sort of thing tends to backfire because it is just another example of anti-war opponents trying to shove their views down the throats of everyone else and few people like that. I mentioned that I happen to support US action and that there had been some pretty positive results in Iraq that seem to be forgotten (20 million people no longer living under Saddam, free elections, etc.). I never implied that I supported US action because I thought we should "liberate" Iraq.
In response, on the PowerUser.TV comments a number of people complained about my beliefs. In fact, they universally used the word "ignorant" to describe my views. Apparently, ones knowledge on a subject is dependent on how closely your opinion matches that of a left-winger. The more you disagree with a left-winger, the more ignorant you are.
The left loves that word "ignorant". It is their way of smugly dismissing people's opinions without having to really consider them. The people insulting me on PowerUser.TV don't know me. They have no idea how much I know or don't know. All they know is that I mentioned, very briefly, that I happen to support US military action in Iraq. That's it. That was enough for them to decide that I'm "ignorant".
Anyone who has bothered to look into my background, what I've done and written and especially anyone who knows me personally I suspect will conclude that I'm not "ignorant". The problem with so many on the left is that they cannot accept that intelligent, well educated, well informed people might have seen the same things they've seen and come to different conclusions.
If I discuss that topic with people who disagree with my conclusions about liberals/left-of-center people, I usually get some sort of moral equivalence argument. Someone will point out Fox News or some right-wing whacko. If you point out Michael Moore you get Ann Coulter thrown in your face. But the pattern is usually something that can most charitably be described as "Look at these hundreds of examples" with moral equivalence being "Oh yea, here's a counter example" as if that makes the two things equal.
You would be hard pressed to find truly equivalent examples of right-of-center people forcing their views on others. A left-winger watching Nascar doesn't have to worry about one of the drivers coming out and saying "And those of you who don't support the war, you are ignorant cowards." Even during the heated recent election, right-wing celebrities didn't go on and say "Yea, the John Kerry is a fucking idiot." (the way several celebrities did to Bush or Bush supporters).
And as we see on that PowerUser.TV thread, it's not me or right-wingers going on and saying how ignorant or cowardly or stupid or uneducated left-wingers are. What's really ironic is that the left's response to the segment proves the point. Center of right people (such as myself) are regularly subjected to left of center dogma in inappropriate venues. But we don't riot about it. We don't try to shout down those who do it. We get annoyed about it and that's about it. That I even mentioned my position (not even making a much of a case for or against the war in Iraq) brought out more posts than any show we've had all using the word "ignorant" and some of them saying things like "Well those people protesting the war are just trying to wake you up."
Apparently, some opinions are simply the "correct" opinions. Those who disagree are "ignorant" and need to be educated. Incorrect opinions need to be subverted, buried, hidden and those who have those opinions shouted down and shamed. The problem with that strategy, in a democracy, is that the voters tend to have the last laugh. Americans don't take kindly to bullies.
when people criticized what I was doing I would respond with a "Step up to bat yourself or sit down and shut the hell up". It is far easier to sit back and judge than to actually step up and do something. Everyone who has ever taken a role of leadership will attest that no matter what you do, it will be met with plenty of bitching from people who haven't actually ever done anything themselves. That holds true for absolutely every level of organization out there. 
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