makes ya think

...

So, my lack of restraint in making political comments in someone else's blog? Inconsequential, after all, because the author of the blog deleted my comment. She rightly noted that I can make such comments in my own blog (and so, here I am). The gist of my comment: I busted her on taking me literally when I was using hyperbole, and I pointed out her inconsistency in supporting abortion when she literally weeps over tv programs that involve children being harmed in any way. (I know about this only because she has posted about it in a public forum.) I also challenged her inability to accept ideas from across the political aisle, and her supposition that it was Republicans who were against Civil Rights, while restating my position that it would be great if everyone understood how the economy works. I used the example of tax cuts stimulating the economy: there's no argument anymore about whether or not they do; the only fights now are over how big the tax cuts should be.

I find it really interesting -- but not surprising -- that instead of posting an answer, she censored me. But it's just as well because there was no point in having that conversation anyway. She is very resistant to hearing anything that disagrees with her worldview, even though she doesn't see herself that way -- and I'm sure she thinks the same thing about me! So: impasse, and I suppose it's better not to waste time on it.

I do regret that she found whatever I wrote so objectionable that she went ahead and deleted it. I spent some time on that reply, trying to get my points across. Now it's gone. It was probably hitting below the belt to ask her if she cares about the pain aborted babies feel, and to speculate that she probably doesn't, since it's not featured on "CSI"... maybe if I had left that out, she'd have left the comment stand. But that was my point... she's so deep into this ideology that she can't even see her own inconsistencies. I know a lot of people like that -- I was like that for years, and Lord knows, I'm sure there are areas of my life in which I still am.

A toxic "friend" once said to me, "Just because you have everything you think you wanted doesn't mean you're happy." If you parse that out, you'll see how nasty it really is. But I encounter this attitude from time to time: my opinions are invalid because I'm not miserable. I'm not suffering, so what do I know? Does it matter at all that I have suffered in the past? [I've been poor. I've been in an abusive relationship... I recovered.] Does it matter that I've reached this plateau through a lot of hard work and one really important decision that I got right: choosing my husband? I guess not, to some people. I'm in a happy marriage with beautiful children living a nice upper middle class life, so obviously I'm some mindless automaton...

Sorry, no. I'm not going to shut up... but I won't waste my time on people who haven't mastered the basic courtesy required to have a discussion: listening to what the other person has to say.