Quick disclaimer, I'm not in the business of defending Rick Santorum. I won't be voting for him in the primary, and I wouldn't vote for him for president for many of the same reasons I wouldn't have voted for Huckabee. He'd be an awful president.
But this is a response to the comment above, not a discussion of failed republican presidential candidates.
My initial thought when I read that comment was that the author, clearly needed to go back to second grade and leave the issues and problems associated with running the country to the adults. Based on that comment, he is clearly incapable of engaging in civil political discourse, the foundation of a democratic society. It's unfortunate, because I've met the young man in question, he's brighter than most, fairly well educated, with a well-defined worldview that if applied properly could add to the discussion. Instead he's chosen to regress to the level of a 10 year old.
You don't like Rick Santorum, guess what? Neither does 75 percent of the republican electorate. Tell me why you don't like Rick Santorum. Disagree with his position on religion, abortion and birth control? Tell me why. Explain to me like an adult, logically and calmly, why he's wrong and your right. (And if you want to guest blog your response here, email me. We can work something out).
Democracy is ugly. It's messy. It involves taking people with different ideas, priorities and goals and getting them all to live and work under the same set of rules. The only way democracy works as a long term solution is if people can talk about their priorities and differences with civility. You don't have to agree with me, but you do have to allow me to speak. And when I'm done I have to give you the same opportunity.
That, in a nutshell, is my biggest gripe with the American left. They, as a group, can brook no dissent, accept no alternate views, allow no disagreement with the Church of the Holy Left. You agree with them or you're a poopy-pants, booger-eating meany-face. Or your worse than Hitler. Or you should be murdered.
It's not enough for the left to say "I think you're wrong and this is why." You have to be evil, stupid, an affront to humanity to be silenced, humiliated and destroyed.
I think that the Santorum definition is just a long-running internet joke - I don't believe that the facebook comment was intended as some kind of serious affront, just a reference. I think the post was lighthearted-sounding enough to welcome any kind of response, rather than a point-by-point logical discussion of an issue that would more obviously warrant a similar tone in return.
ReplyDeleteDon't you think it's over-generalizing to say that the entire American left is so vociferously opposed to all Republicans? I think that any extremist end of a group is that way (same for any other political party, including Republicans themselves), but most people in any party may disagree, and disagree strongly, but I don't seem them constantly burning each other in effigy. I'm part of the "the left" but I have Republican friends and we find areas of agreement. Regardless, I think if you're posting on facebook about politics and expecting a high-level political discourse (or even mid-level!), it's not the best forum and isn't a great barometer of people's genuine beliefs.
I'm with Becky on this. I didn't necessarily think Justin's response to my post was appropriate (because even though I wasn't expecting super educated responses, I also wasn't in the market for an anal sex joke), but that doesn't negate the fact that his comment was made in jest, or the fact that he's a very articulate person of heightened political awareness who knows plenty about the issue I was addressing and simply chose, at that moment, not to delve into debate.
DeleteDo I think it's inappropriate that Rick Santorum's name has been re-appropriated as a term for something gross? Yes. Do I think it's more inappropriate that because someone with leftist views happened to reference it, you generalize that all "lefties" "accept no alternate views, [and] allow no disagreement?" Yes.
It is no more fair for you to generalize people with liberal political leanings than it is for Justin (or anyone else) to generalize people with conservative political leanings. If you want democracy, as ugly and as messy as it is, to work, you need to be prepared to foster civility in the face of incivility - not fight back blow for blow, which is exactly what you're doing with this blog post.