Does villifying the oppostion accomplish anything?

Question

Do the people who ask questions like this go around in real life hating people with bumper stickers that express an opposing opinion?

What ever happened to finding common ground or the art of compromise?

Answer 1

It does in political campaigns, that's why it is done. On this forum, I doubt it changes many minds. I'm sure some people do hate those who hold opposing viewpoints. The art of compromise isn't dead, but it is on life support.

Answer 2

There is common ground among intellectual thinkers. The problem arises when a person does not properly educate themselves in the political arena. the spout words of hate without substance such as "War Crimes" and when asked to specify the actual crime you receive insults. It is not so much as an opposing opinion as it is an uneducated thought simply out of hate for a political party. For example Katrina: The fault falls directly in the lap of Louisiana for being poorly prepared. Yet the ones who are at fault want to redirect the blame to the White House. I am responsible for my own home - if I create a situation that loses the home - It is I who am at fault not the President.

Answer 3

Except that the differences aren't limited to opinions. A political position is a set of values applied to a set of facts. The values are subjective and so political positions will differ, but the facts are not subjective and on many issues, especially economic issues, the facts really are readily ascertainable. Some people think that because ones final position is subjective, the underlying facts are as well - that you can "believe" Lou Dobbs on how unemployment is measured, even though you can look up on the BLS website how it in fact they measure it (and find out that it doesn't exclude people whose benefits have run out and that there is no evidence to support the claim that there are millions of people out there who don't count because they just gave up looking).

What's frustrating and evokes my ire is not people who operate with the same set of facts and because they apply different values come to different conclusions - it is people who operate with their own, made up, set of facts.

I also can't abide by people who twist a set of facts that say one thing into a carefully-worded statement that implies the opposite, such as "the share of the national income that goes to the top earners is increasing while the share of the national income that goes to the bottom earners is declining." Technically that's true but it means what you think it means only if "the national income" is constant and the individual earners remain in their respective top and bottom groups - all complete falsehoods. What's going on is that people make more than they used to at all levels, people just starting out today earn a little more than people just starting out a generation ago, and people at the height of their careers today make a lot more than people at the height of their careers did a generation ago. http://www.nytimes.com/specials/downsize/21cox.html

Not to belabor the economic point but it's a good example of where there are clearly ascertainable facts and one side seems to think that because our final positions involve applying values to those facts to form opinions, the facts themselves become subjective and they're entitled to just make up their own facts.

The logical sequence here is backward - ideally people would start with facts, honestly apply their values and arrive at a conclusion and go with it. But many people, particularly I must say on the Left, have a preconceived conclusion, they want the voters, viewers or readers to conclude that they are applying the voters' values, and so they need to come up with a set of facts that, when you apply those values, will produce that pre-conceived conclusion.

So, bottom line, I don't villify people for making up their own opinions. I villify people for making up their own facts.

Answer 4

put in my paintings day earlier 6 a.m. Made 3 employer calls. tangled up my kitchen. Ate 2 pancakes. Struggled to maintain 2 pancakes down. wiped sparkling my kitchen. Walked the dogs thrice. Chatted with you. asked and responded some Qs. confirmed Bob who became boss!

Answer 5

Well, as we have all seen, the real hateful ones are all in the Democratic party. Vandalizing cars and such because of a Bush sticker. Slashing tires on election days. Heck, I had to stop email for awhile cause of the hate and death wishes just for saying I like Bush and support the war.

Answer 6

Vilifying the opposition works on people that rationalize things on an emotional level which is why it is used.

Answer 7

It's a reflection of the winner-take-all politics in our government.

Answer 8

Six years of Republicans running roughshod over anyone who disagrees with them can do that to ya.

Answer 9

Yes...it makes me feel better.

Have a nice day!

Answer 10

Well, I am just bored at work...