Here’s a GREAT article by some guy named Snark at the GNN.
Some excerpts:
Maybe I’m just burned out with it all. Maybe the bitching does serve some purpose. But it seems to me that goddamned near everybody is concentrating more on bitching, and on exposing their ideological opponents as wrong wrong wrong that they’re losing sight of what’s real. We’re letting ourselves get sucked into ideological warfare and bickering instead of forging a path forward. Instead of making the world better, we’re trying to worry our ‘enemies’ to death with a thousand op-ed articles. Rather than stoke our compassion and determination, we’re stoking resentment and bitterness. Blaming, bitching, denouncing, complaining.
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It’s hard to know what to say what we should do about it, really. I think it’s more something that people have to work out inside themselves, in whatever way it makes sense. However it gets done, we need to divert the energy we’re plowing into plen-t-plaints and turn it into constructive action and real progress. To wallow in the pit of righteous bitching is utterly and completely futile, damaging to our psyches, and is ripping our society apart bit by bit.
I understand it’s somewhat hypocritical, “bitching about bitching” but by “bitching about bitching” I feel you are attempting to force people to look at their actions and those of the people around them.
“Bitching for the sake of bitching” seems quite different. For example, “Bush is a fuckup.” OK, you’ve made your point– hell I’ll even CONCEDE the point to you– Bush is INDEED a fuckup. So where does your comment get us? “Ionno. I just want everyone to know that Bush is a fuckup.”
I am downright giddy at how logical this argue is. I don’t know what “positive progress” can be made– I’m not out here to prove as the end-all save-all with the great visionary ideas. But we have to agree that ANY positive progress has to be a plus in relation to the froth of negatively everyone exudes. Just what that action that leads to positive progress is, I don’t know– but we aren’t going to find it in a pit of mudslinging, cursing, and rage.
Also: Please liberals, do not make me out to be some kind of conservative martyr. The only reason that I rip into liberals so much is because more than likely, if you are reading this– you are one (socio-economical background, age, peer influence, whatever…) and the most effective way of arguing is to try to critique an indiviuals personal viewpoint, not make a case that can be miscontrued as further ammo for their argument. Everyone shares equal blame– just pick up a conservative newspaper, a moderate newspaper, and a liberal newspaper and you’ll see what I mean.
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