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Was busy dropping facts about the current political situation (actual facts backed up with sources) and stated that I thought that the only way to correct current political corruption and overreach was to let the current administration continue to do what they're doing because a.) They're going to anyway and b.) people have short memories and yeah, no matter how you feel about Trump et al, they are abusing things - but then that much power shouldn't have been consolidated to just a few people. Been that way for decades... but anyway...

Dude I've known for like 5 years comes back with general insults to my intelligence and threats to our friendship. In short, acting the exact polarizing way I was just pointing out among the more radical left and right. It was "instant REEE, just add water" reaction.

First, if you're going on about someone's intelligence, it's probably because you have inadequacies in that department yourself. Most especially if the other person never brings that up.

Second, don't ever threaten me because I'll follow through because I'm going to take you at your word. Our friendship must not have meant that much because that's what he was threatening. But, yeah, Imma take you at your word. Threaten to "beat me up" or kill me? Better knock me out with the first punch and, yeah, Imma come after you. Threaten to tell someone something about me to blackmail me? I'll tell them myself and not let you know so you can be seen as the evil moron you are. Things like that.

So, yeah, no more conversing. Just "I hate you and everything you stand for and I don't like what you're saying so you can't say anything."

And all he had to do was say something civil instead like "I don't want to have this conversation" or "I can't agree with you and I don't think we're going accomplish anything but an argument here" or something like that. I mean, geez, I'd have actually respected him for that. But as it stands, if I ever see him in town, he needs to pretend he doesn't know me.

Where is all this stupidity coming from???

Was busy dropping facts about the current political situation (actual facts backed up with sources) and stated that I thought that the only way to correct current political corruption and overreach was to let the current administration continue to do what they're doing because a.) They're going to anyway and b.) people have short memories and yeah, no matter how you feel about Trump et al, they *are* abusing things - but then that much power shouldn't have been consolidated to just a few people. Been that way for decades... but anyway... Dude I've known for like 5 years comes back with general insults to my intelligence and threats to our friendship. In short, acting the exact polarizing way I was just pointing out among the more radical left and right. It was "instant REEE, just add water" reaction. First, if you're going on about someone's intelligence, it's probably because you have inadequacies in that department yourself. Most especially if the other person never brings that up. Second, don't ever threaten me because I'll follow through because *I'm going to take you at your word*. Our friendship must not have meant that much because that's what he was threatening. But, yeah, Imma take you at your word. Threaten to "beat me up" or kill me? Better knock me out with the first punch and, yeah, Imma come after you. Threaten to tell someone something about me to blackmail me? I'll tell them myself and not let you know so you can be seen as the evil moron you are. Things like that. So, yeah, no more conversing. Just "I hate you and everything you stand for and I don't like what you're saying so you can't say anything." And all he had to do was say something civil instead like "I don't want to have this conversation" or "I can't agree with you and I don't think we're going accomplish anything but an argument here" or something like that. I mean, geez, I'd have actually respected him for that. But as it stands, if I ever see him in town, he needs to pretend he doesn't know me. Where is all this stupidity coming from???

28 comments

[–] Mattvision 3 points (+3|-0)

Because we all have to share the same government, and everyone's ideas on how to use it are threatening to everyone else. Civil discussion was only possible when average people were still politically similar enough, but they slowly began to push eachother apart, and now they're hellbent on destroying each other.

That's what happens when 300 million people are stuck with two choices of government every two years. And the parties love it, because the more polarizing our political landscape is, the less rationally people will approach debate, and the more dogmatically loyal people will be to one party or another. That's the one thing they all secretly agree on, even if they don't always realize it themselves.

[–] CDanger 1 points (+1|-0)

Excellent insight. Most people don't grasp that the two parties love the conflict since it makes for easy rallying of the loyal troops. And celebrity-gossip inspired coverage of politicians encourages overlooking of actual corruption and instances of politicians selling out for lobbyist interests; it all blends in with the constant background noise.

[–] [Deleted] 3 points (+3|-0)

I find it hard to have conversations with people about politics. I take it very personally that the government steals from me every day. Getting people to understand that is damn near impossible.

I have a friend, she's black and slowly discovering that she's republican and it amuses me to no end. I explained this to her, called it the slavery that it was and you could see her mind explode. She'd never thought of it that way.

[–] [Deleted] 1 points (+1|-0)

Unless your motive in life is to live off the government, I don't see how anyone can identify as a Democrat. Sad thing is, Republicans are only marginally better.

Straight out of her mouth:

If you're black, you're expected to vote democrat. You don't question it, you don't think about it.

Also, there's the quote I heard that makes a lot of sense:

If you're not a democrat when you're young, you have no heart. If you're a democrat when you're older, you have no brain.

I make so much fun of democrats right now because they've gone full retard so it's really easy. Republicans... well, I prefer the term "Repellicans." They're generally little wretches who are hypocritical in the worst ways. Anti-gay? You bet they're at least bi. Anti-abortion? You can bet they've been party to one. Voter suppression? All. Day. Long.

[–] [Deleted] 1 points (+1|-0)

That is quite a sweeping statement. Please explain how the government "steals from me every day"?

[–] CDanger 1 points (+1|-0)

Government theft will absolutely not be taught in school, so it is at least understandable while many will dismiss you are a lunatic. It goes against years of programming in schools and then continued messaging in the media.

[–] [Deleted] 2 points (+2|-0)

I was unfriended by two people on fbook, one because I said I would call Trump "Mr. President" and the other was telling me about his poor "husband that might have his whole life destroyed because he's not a citizen yet". I said "hopefully that won't happen" (this guy has been married to some young illegal for at least four years....um, time enough to get legal, no?). I closed the convo because I needed to leave and he immediately unfriended me because "I'm a Trump supporter!! how could I???

I never said I was a Trump supporter, it was just that I didn't started screeching and wringing my hands over some illegal gay boy's status in the U.S.

ps: BTW, thank you for using the word "conversing" and not "conversating".

[–] ScorpioGlitch [OP] 0 points (+0|-0) Edited

If people treat friendship as something so fleeting, then society as a whole has become degenerate indeed.

("Conversating" is not a word) :)

[–] KillBill 2 points (+2|-0)

Where is all this stupidity coming from???

An education system that has been subverted by corporate and other interests for their own gain. I remember back when I was at school they suspended the mandatory home economics and trade classes in high school. Also children are no longer raised by the village but spend increasing time in isolation with their main influence being the hive mentality that the internet has helped propagate.

An education system that has been subverted by corporate and other interests for their own gain

You're not exactly wrong but how do you think that applies here?

[–] KillBill 1 points (+1|-0)

Where is all this stupidity coming from???

My answer to the above quote specifically is part of the reason why I think there are more stupid people in the world today than there were 100 years ago or even 50 years ago. The modern education system probably gives us more intelligence overall coming out of the school system these days compared to days of old but there's a complete lack of common sense and the ability to apply that intelligence to situations correctly. People are coming out with degrees in science and business who can't even spell properly, for example. At best it's education by bad committee design(which rarely works) and at worst its subversion of the education system.

So in the context of this post you would have people who might be skilled in debate because they picked up those skills in the modern schooling system but they have no idea why they are arguing or are arguing for the wrong reasons(ie: solely for the victory of the argument itself) which is one of the things I believe we should be teaching kids and we aren't.

PS: The above is a jumbled mess after reading it back but I just woke up and found I left this on and not thinking straight. Back to bed for me, have fun. :)

Well.... with the ubiquity of phones and computers now, anyone with an opinion or just a rage can go online and say things. And there are just plainly more people now than any year previously (goes without saying, perhaps). So they band together because they all say things that they want to say and hear and then it's a swarm mentality, I suppose. But people any more are basing their friendships on and offline by what people say or whether or not they think differently. I don't care what a person thinks but I do care about that they do. They can think that half the world needs to be killed to control population growth as long as they act magnanimously or decent or civil or something wholesome. Actions something louder than words and all. But at some point, it seems that society as a whole seems to think that the entirety of how you should interact with people should be judged by the same kind of "feels" you get by sitting behind a keyboard where you can say anything and there's no consequence. Reverse evolution, if you will.

And schools today are horrible. Not even going to get started on that.

[–] Owlchemy 2 points (+2|-0)

It is seriously hard to have civil discussions anymore. We all take everything far too seriously, and I'm not sure how that came to be. It just sorta happened.

My guess is that much has to do with the ease of access of people to spout their opinions so freely on all the various social platforms with zero consequences. Before, we had conversations among our friends and family and pretty much knew what buttons to push and those to stay away from. It was called civility and unless you were spoiling for a fight, you just watched your tongue. That's all seemed to have changed now.

Now we're forced to hear damn near everyone's opinion ... many of which we don't agree with or aren't worth hearing in the first place - LOL. And many, including myself from time to time, have gone overboard on responses to what we think is lunacy. Is there a solution ... who knows, it's beyond my pay grade. But I've always found it best to not let it get to me. Even when I realize I too went to far, I try to walk it back when I cool down some, ending with the old standby 'we have to agree to disagree'. Sadly though, there are many out there who thrive on the conflict and their take is to keep pushing for a cheap thrill. Sometimes you can't win ... but you can always walk away the bigger person.

People have been killing each other over disagreements for as long as there have been people. The current failure of discourse is nothing new.

As for the seemingly sudden change in Dude there are two options.

One: He has taken [name] into his heart.
There's a damn, dirty trick used by preachers and politicians. They get some poor sucker to make [name] part of their identity. After that any criticism of [name] is an attack on the sucker's identity.

Two: Television and Modern Schools.
Both encourage non-interactive absorption of information, and schools go further in rewarding unprocessed regurgitation of that information. The situation has become so bad that there is a very successful genre of video games that simulate interpersonal interaction.