Seriously, Joy, you can't get all your news from CNN. How do you know those signs weren't "cherry picked"? Were you in the editing room? Half of the debate in a media environment is "framing" the issue -- they pick which pictures to show, what percentage of the crowd size to show, what words are used to describe them, etc. CNN is a master at this.
But hey, I've been wrong before. And I'm curious. To the best of your recollection, did CNN show any of
these signs ? Or
these , from a protest *and* counterprotest side by side, for comparison? The general incivility in our culture is not new. Personally, I think it's less now than it sometimes has been, but estimations differ.
And isn't it one of the principals of our democracy that we're allowed to disagree with or even make fun our our President? You'd never know it, talking to some people (not you, Joy).
So I guess I'm not all that classy. Dang. Still, logically speaking, you can't use a personal attack to discredit an entire line of reasoning. Consider the source, yeah, but don't ignore the argument, especially when it's made by many people. A charge of racism, for instance, is designed to stop the argument cold, not discuss it and see if there's anything valid there. I guess when some people can't argue substance they have to fall back on "because, shut up!" as a response.
Also keep in mind that people who are wrong on a lot of things might occasionally stumble into the right position. For instance, I personally despise former President Carter, for many and varied reasons. But I give him credit for two things -- Habitat for Humanity, and his response to the Three Mile Island crisis. When everybody else in central PA was freaking out and heading for the hills (including my own family), Carter took a tour of the facility. That, I respect.
Anyway, this is rambling.
PJ
