Saturday, August 30, 2008

Facebook Status Political War

I hope readership of this blog (by readership I mean mostly those of us who write from time to time) hasn't completely fallen off at this point. I know I'm partly to blame for nothing going on here lately, but I finally have something somewhat interesting to write about. Let's try to get back to writing more regularly. I really enjoy reading what you folks have to say.

I noticed something new during the DNC last week. Maybe if I hadn't been glued to the tv the entire week, political junkie that I am, I wouldn't have noticed it quite as much. What I realized was that people are now using their Facebook status to spew political rhetoric.

I've been somewhat guilty, but mine have been less rhetoric, more feeling. For example, mine said, "Quinn wishes he was at Mile High" on the night of Obama's acceptance speech. Others (I have to say, mostly, but not only, conservatives) were much more involved. One guy that Rachelle, Meg, and I went to high school with said "Rhett wonders if Obama supporters realize socialism has been tried before. It failed." Reducing a politicians position to socialism simply because he believes markets exists for people and not the other way around. Some weren't ideological, they were attempts at insult, like another guy from high school said, "Andrew wishes Obama would come up with something besides that dumb as [sic] 'yes we can' slogan." I guess the irony was lost on him in that in identifying something as dumb ass, he actually misspelled the word.

Anyway, I don't know what I think about this. I feel like already the general population is so dumb when it comes to politics, and I'm not talking about ideology. I know some very intelligent conservatives. I just mean that the general population are uneducated. Facebook status as a medium for political discourse will not help this. I actually question whether blogs even can.

Part of me wants to fire back at these people. Inform them that they misspelled dumb ass, tell them they clearly don't understand the differences between the Marxist tyranny of the USSR and the socialist policies of the UK or Sweden. However, I just don't think it's worth it. If someone is willing to bring the level of the conversation down that far, I see no point in stooping to try to correct their misguided feelings.

3 comments:

Quinn said...

Update:
As I wrote, my aunt posted a new political status:

"Kim is preparing to lower employee bonuses expecting our corporate taxes to go up. Sorry employees, the money has to come from somewhere."

I guess she figured they couldn't afford their million dollar, 5,000 square foot home (for a family of 5) if they lowered their own salaries. I would say that to her, but somehow I think it would make the next family gathering awkward.

Anonymous said...

Amen, brotha! I too thought about responding to the socialism comment...but you know what, it would be a complete waste of time. I almost put as my status, "Rachelle wishes people weren't complete political morons" or something of the sort...but oh well. Thanks for posting this!

Anonymous said...

You've got great points. It can be difficult for thoughtful, reflective people to see half-truths spewed and twisted on both sides, but sometimes it might be better that way.

It is true that the best of us may know better than the majority, but governments with power vested in the elite have been tried as well, as monarchies and dictatorships. According to one of my favorite writers and Supreme Court justices, Oliver Wendell Holmes, "...the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which [your] wishes safely can be carried out. That at any rate is the theory of our Constitution."

 
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