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| photo: community of children.org |
Since starting this blog a few months ago, I have received many compliments about what I’ve written which I appreciate although am not convinced are deserved. I have also had more than a few disagree with me and that usually meant that they labeled me in a somewhat less than jovial manner.
I’ve been called a Nazi, a fascist, uninformed, a member of the KKK and my all-time favourite, a capitalist lickspittle. I love that one. It’s somewhat unique and has a sense of style to it. I always appreciate a bit of creativity in all of its forms.
I’m not offended by the negative name-calling, just as I don’t allow the compliments to swell my ego. I accept both in the spirit in which they were intended and then get on with my day.
But here’s the question. What actual purpose does name-calling achieve?
There are many issues facing us these days. Some are self-imposed by things like entitlement addiction, intolerance, fanaticism, greed, hypocrisy and, of course, just plain stupidity.
Other issues are imposed on us by circumstance or by others including political corruption, environmental disasters, F-18s falling out of the sky, crime and, of course, just plain stupidity.
My God but there is an uncommon amount of stupidity around these days.
Other issues are imposed on us by circumstance or by others including political corruption, environmental disasters, F-18s falling out of the sky, crime and, of course, just plain stupidity.
My God but there is an uncommon amount of stupidity around these days.
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| photo: yourshcoollibrary.wordpress.com |
Whatever the issue, most of us form opinions. It is a natural result of having a brain and even living in a totalitarian regime doesn’t prevent people from forming opinions, just from expressing them publicly.
In democracies, we get to express those opinions no matter how ill-informed they may be and that is not a bad thing. The freedom to voice your opinion is a fundamental characteristic of a free society, even if many squander that freedom on the inane, the trite and the absurd.
Sometimes, that freedom is malicious, sometimes it is misused but that is also why we have a brain. It is left to us to sort through the opinion to arrive at fact before we form our own. Not everyone does that, of course, many are too lazy or lack the intellectual discipline or capacity to actually think for themselves It is these people who have the least secure opinions and who often fall back on name calling to defend them.
I am less offended by these people than I am sorry for them. They are easily manipulated by trends and the opinions of others. It is people like this who bought into the erroneous idea that vaccinations caused autism and because they were too lazy to do their own research, thousands of children were put at risk from diseases like tuberculosis and polio.
That is when uniformed opinion crosses the line from being mildly annoying or entertaining to being dangerous.
It is uninformed opinion that has led many to a rush to judgment in the Trayvon Martin case and seen the trampling of that fundamental American right to presumption of innocence until all the facts are known and adjudicated.
It is uninformed opinion that leads many to believe that some people are poor because other people are wealthy.
Uninformed opinion has caused support for wars, the trampling of human rights, misguided activism, social and political polarization, paranoid conspiracy theories and name calling.
Name calling is the last defense for those whose opinions are as deep as a glass of water.
It also leads to bullying (especially in children), prejudice, intolerance and hate crimes. When we stop seeing people as people and only see them as the labels we give them, intolerance thrives.
It also leads to bullying (especially in children), prejudice, intolerance and hate crimes. When we stop seeing people as people and only see them as the labels we give them, intolerance thrives.
I used to think it was the right that mostly resorted to name-calling because I too often heard or saw labels like socialist, communist, leftist or wing nut being applied to those who tend to label themselves as progressives. Then, because I saw the same thing emerging on the other side with labels like fascist, capitalist pig and Nazi directed at the right, I began to think it was the left that did most of the name calling.
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| photo: wikipedia.org |
Now I realize that name calling is the last resort of those whose opinions are not founded on thought but on knee-jerk reaction to issues and that is something from which no part of the political spectrum can claim immunity. Both seem quite content to throw out labels like traitor, treason, bigot, or some other racist or gender-based slur that don't seem to belong to any particular political ideology.
Name calling betrays a lack of respect for the right of all to their opinions and to voice them. It also betrays a serious lack of confidence in the name caller’s own opinions. Arrogance is a poor substitute for knowledge. Because they are uniformed and unable to address the issues and defend their opinions based on facts, they are threatened by contrary opinions and resort to personally attacking those with whom they disagree.
For a very long time, this tended to be the province primarily of politicians who are very accomplished at calling each other names while skillfully avoiding informed debate and discussion of the real issues. Now it is commonplace across social media.
Perhaps that is partly due to the fact that there is little room in 140 character messages for the expression of much more than calling those with whom you disagree some derogatory name but I think it’s something else.
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| photo: propagandacritic.com |
I believe there are two main reasons for it. I believe that there are far too many who have no regard or respect for the opinions of others and can only find security in their own by demeaning others.
I also think it is because too many of us don’t think for ourselves anymore. We have no time to really sit down and think an issue through before arriving at an opinion. We want to be relevant, seen to be in touch with the issues and part of the crowd, so we simply react. We accept the prevailing (or a contrarian) opinion based on an emotional response and then give voice to that opinion. When our opinion is challenged, we react with a shallow defense and when that fails us, we resort to name calling.
I also think it is because too many of us don’t think for ourselves anymore. We have no time to really sit down and think an issue through before arriving at an opinion. We want to be relevant, seen to be in touch with the issues and part of the crowd, so we simply react. We accept the prevailing (or a contrarian) opinion based on an emotional response and then give voice to that opinion. When our opinion is challenged, we react with a shallow defense and when that fails us, we resort to name calling.
It betrays how weak our opinion really is and that is why name calling doesn’t offend me . It is impossible to be angered by those who are that insecure. It is only possible to feel sorry for them and concerned for the success of a society that has so many giving so little thought to the challenges we face together.
It isn’t all bad though. I love words and if nothing else, all this name calling gave me capitalist lickspittle and I just love that phrase.
Some day, I even hope to learn what it means.
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