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jrenae
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Posted: Fri Nov 7th, 2008 04:14 am |
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I don't know that we need to foster unity. Nobody comes on these boards for agreement, we just like to get our dose of smack and move on with the millions of other things we do every day
No, that would just be YOU, CF.
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CrimeFighter
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| Joined: | Sat Feb 10th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 1204 |
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Posted: Fri Nov 7th, 2008 03:28 am |
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| I don't know that we need to foster unity. Nobody comes on these boards for agreement, we just like to get our dose of smack and move on with the millions of other things we do every day. BigShow is one of my favorite posters. I disagree with pretty much every position he has ever taken in the history of these boards, which is what makes debating so much fun. What is a more pressing concern to me is the quality of smack. We need an enforcer who boots people out who don't meet the minimum threshold of quality smack.
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gsbill
Member
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Posted: Thu Nov 6th, 2008 09:23 pm |
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I'm always up for coffee or something, time permitting. Had lunch with Bambi yesterday. Some folks wont come out, their choice.
geaston...put something together..We can meet at our clubhouse. I'll gladly attend.
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TheBigShow
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| Joined: | Sat Feb 11th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 1133 |
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Posted: Thu Nov 6th, 2008 09:07 pm |
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Bill is right, often what it takes to end divisiveness is being to talk to a person face to face. Online, there's a detachment between the words on a screen and and actual person. When you see that person face to face, that detachment is gone...unless your crazy and like being punched in the face.
As far being a "God Hater", I don't hate God. I just don't believe there is a god. History is riddled with a belief in a God. Greeks believed in Zues and his merry band of god. But if someone walked up to you today and said they believe in Zues, you'd think they're a nut. I have no problem with Christ or his teachings, I don't believe he was a son of God nor rose from the dead, but I think he had positive teachings. Unfortunately, his followers today don't follow them and it looks very ugly to me when sinners yell at the top of their lungs at other sinners. I've had people tell me I'm a bad person because I don't believe in God. Yet preachers who abuse kids are somehow held in higher esteem than athiests.
I don't live in QC anymore so I might not be able to show up to all the meetups that may be planned in the future but Bill if you let me know, I'll do what I can to show up.
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gsbill
Member
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Posted: Thu Nov 6th, 2008 08:20 pm |
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I love America and believe in democracy. Tell me what you can do to help unite our country or at least our own digital community. Tell me why you can't listen and consider the opposite view and instead of simply blindly hating it and citing the past, how bout offering a solution and a look forward?
A good start is to get out and meet up occasionally. That works wonders and really does help unite those with opposing views. A few of us do get out and meet up, some more often than others. Get together behind a common cause, volunteer in the community, get to know your neighbors.
Big Show, Bambi, jrenae, DavidB, QCVillager, Jace, geaston are a few I've met in person. The mayor even gets out to meet bloggers! Lets have a regular get together over coffee, lunch or something.
Thats how I think we can start uniting right here in our community.
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DavidB
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| Joined: | Thu Jul 3rd, 2008 |
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| Posts: | 416 |
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Posted: Thu Nov 6th, 2008 08:10 pm |
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Great post G. I think it is always important to look at the past as a means of predicting the future. When history is repeating itself it's prudent to look back on the results of the previous attempt.
Many of us, including myself, become very polarized when we hear arguments that don't make logical sense to us. You are right though, it is what it is and we have to make the best of it. I know that I will do my best to weather this storm and hope that my company survives it. It's all I can do.
I was extremely passionate about this particular election. I think most Americans were. I'm just releived that its over.
As for HOPE, I wish some of the hopers could sprinkle their magic dust on Wall Street. Dow down almost 1000 points in 2 days. The market seems to be a bit short on hope. Do you think maybe those 'rich' people are moving their money to someplace friendlier? Like a mattress.
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geaston
Member
| Joined: | Fri Jun 27th, 2008 |
| Location: | Queen Creek |
| Posts: | 68 |
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Posted: Thu Nov 6th, 2008 05:04 pm |
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You guys many know that I'm relatively new to the board. I've recognized which boardies I agree with, whom I disagree with, and then there's the pigeon posters from both sides- and we can all be pigeons depending on if we have time to waste or not. And some folks just love the idea of having a zillion posts on their ticker as their badge of honor. BigShow cooled my jets a tad when he reminded me that this is just a message board, but I'd like to think that we all visit regularly because we enjoy the banter, enjoy feeling right and perhaps we may actually like each other- despite our differences.
You've got to admit that when you see an opinion you disagree with, the natural tendancy is to try and dispute it with our knowledge. Will Crimefighter ever convince Bigshow or vice versa? Or do they immediately see who the post is written by and filter in the Peanuts teacher voice? Or feel compelled to reply since there's a history of opposing views?
So where does that leave us in the big picture of our country? We've got polar opposites all across this country who will seemingly never see eye to eye but then you'll even get two republicans together and they might hate each other because one is a Palin "right" backward thinking, holding on to the past conservative, and one is a McCain "right" sympathizing sell out. And then when an election comes, it typically breaks down to blind allegiance regardless of the issues. Or the centrists could go either way. But most people see an R or a D and we vote for what our party is.
Is it a good attribute to be set in your ways? Black and white and no exceptions? Even when you're significantly in the minority? And if you're vocal and articulate about your minority view- like many tv and radio news figures, what is the end result of sticking to your guns- especially right after you lose? Is Ann Coulter really going to spend the next 4 years at the intensity level she's at?
Every once in a while someone blows around out of obscurity to rise to a significant leadership position. He's not the same old. He promisses change and perhaps he has a history of doing just that. And perhaps the nation is ready to embrace that sort of change since they voted to increase his purchasing power by giving him a higher credit limit in the form of congressional allies. And perhaps that guy is Obama.
So, let's assume that we all love our country, its principles and our superiority to any other country (and if you don't like what i just said, then go please start your own separate thread on why you hate america yet continue to live here instead of your favorite non-american country) And say you love the fact that we do have the right to democratically vote for who we want, vote to get rid of who we don't want and actually have a voice in our livelihood, social issues and how our government spends our money.
And lets assume that you (like I) don't like certain things about our country- like poverty, and potholes, and intollerance, and healthcare, and morals, and war, and frivilous lawsuits, and hatred of american by both foreigners AND "americans", and injustice, and broken families, and crime and all sorts of other things.
How does continuing to polarize our opposing views on how things should be fixed give our elected officials any real chance at making changes. Is it the method or the result that is more important? Or would you rather have no acceptance of the proposed method and no change because nobody can agree on a method, which seems to often be the reality of it all. Is flat out hatred for those with the opposite view part of the solution? I find it hard to believe that even the God hating atheists would disagree with the teachings of Jesus whether you believe in Him or not. No, not the teachings of the church and not the examples of "Christians" you may know.
Guess what all you God haters, everyone- even the dude up front doing the preaching has sinned and continues to sin. And if you haven't already put the Peanuts teacher filter on me since I mentioned God AND Jesus in the same sentence, why don't you pick up a bible and specifically read Matthew 5 through Matthew 7- and get yourself a New International version or Living Bible version so the language doesn't put you to sleep. And heck, you can even filter out every mention of God or Jesus and just read it like that. And I'm sure the God haters could even cite something similar that was written by "secular" philosophers that they might believe in.
I've been having fun going back and forth with BigShow since we disagree. And hopefully he knows that I mean no harm personally. We just want people to see things our way. But if we want people to see things our way without keeping an open mind to "their" way, then we are not ever going to get any more unified as americans. Are we scared of being "turned" their way so we blindly defend our views and don't even listen to theirs? Could we perhaps be wrong in some of our views or perhaps find a compromising viewpoint that we can both agree on? Expand our microcosm of this message board to a national level and that's what I'm talking about. What's it going to take to get the far left and the far right on not necessarily the same page, but at least within the same book? And if you say it will never happen, that it's that exact attitude that is destructive instead of constructive.
I love America and believe in democracy. Tell me what you can do to help unite our country or at least our own digital community. Tell me why you can't listen and consider the opposite view and instead of simply blindly hating it and citing the past, how bout offering a solution and a look forward?
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