General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I'm from the south. [View all]Martin Eden
(12,866 posts)rrneck,
Overall I think have you have provided some keen insights in your OP, and pointed out how counterproductive it is to insult and alienate fellow citizens who we need to be part of the solution rather than obstructionists to progress.
It is very easy and satisfying to ridicule fundamentalist Christian concervatives and the South in general, but that satisfaction is more like the buzz from junk food than the nutrition of a healthy meal. Such broad-brush put-downs are more the product of emotion than rational thought, and the best word I can think of to describe it is immature. We need to be grown-ups, and we need to be better than the people who are easy (and justifiably in many respects) targets for ridicule. If we really want to be agents for positive change we need a better grasp of what is necessary to bring the 99% of this country together in behalf of their own interests.
I'm a realist, so I know a significant percentage of the folks who take Fox News and Rush Limbaugh as gospel will never be persuaded. But not every person who was raised in that environment and has voted Republican is an idiot impervious to reason and change. You are testimony to that.
However ...
I detect in your post a measure of bitter reaction to broad-brush insults against the South, and this is reflected in how you have characterized people brought up in a liberal environment. Of course they did not have to overcome the cultural attitudes that you did, but they are no more to blame for being born to their parents than your childhood peers. Your "feathered plumage" comment strikes me as returning insult with insult, which is just as negative as the bigotry and arrogance which does manifest itself among some people on the left.
To be sure, we should not turn a blind eye to bigotry of any kind -- but I think some of your comments have done more to alienate the people you are trying to persuade, which contradicts your intent.
Overall I like your post very much and applaud what you're trying to accomplish. We are not helping ourselves when we heap derision on folks who have been terribly misled. First and foremost we must prevail on the merits of our ideas, the justice of our cause, and the strength of our character.
You pointed out the latter may need a little work. We should all look in the mirror now and then, yourself not excluded.