I, and I think lots of DU folks, give people (in general) credit for having more sense

[raccoon]

than many people do.

A lot of people just don’t like to think. Or just don’t want to. You can’t reason with them. That requires thinking and they just don’t want to think.

They won’t vote for a Democrat for President because “they’ll take our guns.”

They think “women’s lib” and/or “liberals” are responsible for the social ills of today.

Feel free to add to this list.

[bryant69]

1. Are you familiar with the term Sheeple?

I don't think DU gives Americans too much credit. Quite the opposite.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[raccoon]

3. Yes, I'm familiar with the term.

Maybe I'm projecting.

[hobbit709]

2. "Most people can't think, won't think,

and wouldn't know how to think even when their lives depend on it" R.A.H.

[onyourleft]

7. I disagree.

I believe that if given the facts people will respond appropriately. However, when the media continues to sugar coat the Iraq invasion, the economy and give cover to the Bush administration in general, I don't believe it is possible for the populace to make reasoned decisions. As long as the media is allowed to continue with its current propaganda, it is impossible to make reasoned, intelligent decisions and act with an appropriate response.

We need a decent source in this country that people can rely on for truth. Most individuals I know do not have the luxury of time to browse the net and read all of the information that most DUers take for granted. Is it laziness on their part? No, it is not. Most are too busy right now "putting food on their families" and just trying to generally survive.

[old guy]

9. On the money!

I have been saying this for a long,long time. The present MSM is IMO as big a threat to our country as anything else. Until people realize a danger, they don't react and the media is keeping the facts away from them so they don't.

[hobbit709]

14. There's a difference between thinking and learning

Learning is assimilating new facts. Thinking is taking the data you have at the time and making a decision quickly(hopefully a correct one)-especially when your life is in danger. When you spot the rattlesnake, do you stand there and lean towards it or do you back off slowly. Do you go through a low-water crossing during a cloudburst or do you stop and assess the situation.

[Balbus]

4. Yeah, we should only let smart people vote.

Maybe have everyone pass some kind of reading test or something before they're allowed to vote. Maybe pay a little money out of their pocket also. That way, we can make sure that the people that are voting are the ones we want to vote. Sounds good.

[cherokeeprogressive]

15. "the ones we want to vote"?? Yeah, democracy sucks, huh?

What would be next, eugenics? Get rid of the people who aren't "smart" enough to vote?

[MUSTANG_2004]

19. You were replying to someone who was being sarcastic. NT

[ChiciB1]

5. THIS Is A Pet Peeve Of Mine! I've Said This Over & Over...

I can't TELL you how many times I've TRIED to have a calm, decent conversation with some of my Repuke friends and for the most part it simply ends up with them calling me a Liberal Welfare Loving, Left Winger who is OUT OF STEP with Reality!

And yet, when I ask them WHO is the Minority Leader of either the Representatives or Senators, THEY don't even know! I myself DO know and it's THEIR Party I'm talking about! One would think I would surround myself with like-minded people, but living where I do there are so many Repukes here and it's hard to just have Democratic friends. Besides, I don't really think one should confine themselves this way. I have always felt dialog is GOOD even if you disagree on certain issues. I am reminded of a book written by Michael Moore called "Dude, Where's My Country?" One of the last chapters addresses this issue. He states in it that IF people of any party would just sit down and discuss issues WITHOUT name calling we would find that we agree on many more issues than we disagree with!

Having said that, it has gotten so much worse BECAUSE of people like Rover and the Neo-Con separatism and how they have made this country so DIVIDED.

Having spent most of my younger years and graduating from a school in Texas I still have friends from school who actually will NEVER stop supporting this Administration. Just a couple of days ago I got a call from one of them to tell me about an upcoming reunion, and almost the first words out of his mouth were "Is This Miss Liberal?" He's a long-time friends who ran around with my husband in school, and knows that I identify with Democrats so therefore I'm tagged! I NEVER send him offensive emails, but continually get stuff from him about Bill Clinton and so many other idiotic things. Mostly I open them and delete them, but I too know exactly what you're talking about and I can NEVER make them understand that there are issues that Democrats support that I don't always agree with.

But it HAS gotten so much worse in the past 6 to 7 years! I don't have answer to this and it's going to RUIN this country so much more if it continues!

[JitterbugPerfume]

11. I have even told some family members that I dont appreciate the e mails

But they just keep coming .

they just think I am so uninformed and "cute" to believe in the common good.

They act like they "tolerate " me because after all, I have always been quite the rebel.At age 67 , that one is getting mighty thin.


Grrrrrrrrr!!!!

[Forkboy]

17. Nothing wrong with being a rebel at 67.

"Hey,Johnny,what are you rebelling against?"

"Whaddaya got?"

[JitterbugPerfume]

25. Forkboy!

:hi: :yourock:

[benEzra]

16. oops, wrong place (n/t)

[treestar]

6. Why is thinking so burdensome to so many?

It amazes me. I would be bored to death if I just accepted everything on face value.

The system seems to reward them, too. Think of it, who is happiest in this country? Those for whom shopping is the best and most wonderful way to spend time! Who can be made happy just by turning the TV on!

[Jed Dilligan]

8. I once dated a girl who thought thinking was an annoyance

She claimed that she normally had no thoughts in her head, and felt comfortable that way, so when people said something that made her think it was intrusive and unwelcome.

And she had a BA from Columbia University...

[rucky]

10. They think Bush cut their taxes!

WTF!

[The Vinyl Ripper]

12. Both my wife and my daughter are quite intelligent..

And both of them get very angry with me if I try to get them to think for themselves.

My wife is even more of a leftist libertarian than I am and I think my daughter is somewhat to the right of me but no winger for sure.

One of my daughter's friends was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and they have been holding motorcycle rides to raise money for him. She is very quiet when I point out that in any other Western nation that would not be necessary.

[Romulox]

13. I think you have to be careful not assume "they" are the ones without sense...

It's not safe to assume your allies are any smarter than your enemies. The vast majority of people in the world are followers who look for wise leaders to direct their efforts. In an age that has produced very few wise leaders, people can easily be lead into almost any folly--e.g. the Iraq war.

[benEzra]

18. What if your guns look like this?

Benelli turkey hunting shotgun, 12-gauge


Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle


M1 Carbine


Springfield M1A National Match, target rifle, caliber .308 Winchester.


Hammerli international target competition pistol, caliber .22LR.


My wife's Glock 9mm pistol, with 15-round magazine.


My wife's antique Samozaryadniy Karabin Simonova, made in Tula, Russia in 1952 and highly collectible, shown with her Glock.


My SAR-1 target/competition/utility rifle, non-automatic (no, this is not an AK-47).


AR-15 type rifle, non-automatic; the most popular centerfire target rifle in America (no, this is not an M16)

Plus every civilian shotgun holding more than 5 shells, and every other civilian rifle and pistol holding more than 10 rounds, except for a few tubular magazine .22's.


Someone is not necessarily "stupid" for thinking that someone who is a cosponsor of H.R.1022 (which would ban or restrict all of the above, most of them by name) actually supports the legislation they are cosponsoring.

Wanting gun-404 legislators to keep their hands off your guns, particularly guns that are rarely misused, isn't "stupid." You may disagree with it, but to the tens of millions of gun owners who would be affected by such a ban, it is indeed a relevant issue. A lot of Dems and indies, including me, own guns that the repubs at the Brady Campaign would like to ban, and we would very much like to keep them. Thankfully, the party at large seems to have dropped the ban-more-guns thing, which may allow the "Dems'll-take-yer-guns" meme to die a well-deserved death.

Dems and the Gun Issue - Now What? (written in '04, largely vindicated in '06, IMO)

Alienated Rural Democrat (2004)

The Conservative Roots of U.S. Gun Control

[MUSTANG_2004]

20. Disagree

I think most people do think things through and have valid reasons for believing and voting the way they do.

From your comment above "They won’t vote for a Democrat for President because 'they’ll take our guns.'" it sounds like you don't think gun control is a valid issue to use when deciding who to vote for. Why not? How is it any different than someone who won't vote for someone who isn't pro-choice? Just because you may not think an issue is critical doesn't mean it can't be important to someone else.

[raccoon]

22. What I meant was, just because a candidate is a Democrat, and if the

candidate IS elected, doesn't mean government officials will immediately go house to house collecting people's guns. Because even if the candidate was 100% in favor of gun control, doesn't mean that Congress would go along with everything he wanted.

[stillcool]

21. I for one don't know what to think...

the only truth I know is my own. Is it better to pay attention to certain sources..say like Wolf Blitzer, Tucker Carlson, and Chris Matthews and be completely mis-informed?...or to pay attention to none of them, and be considered ignorant? I'm thinking I have to align myself with the 'ignorant' group, as I don't rise to the level of those with the self-righteous, condescending tones that are apparently 'in the know' here on DU.

[lpbk2713]

23. Say no thanks to the Kool-Aid.

A lot of people want to dish it out but I pass.

[kineneb]

24. work in retail sometime...

discover how really dense most people are... thinking hurts them...

Example: at the farmers market I managed, we had signs that said "Open at Noon"(for safety and legal reasons), with ropes across the entrance... and people just assumed that they could walk through beforehand, even when trucks were unloading... I would tell them "Please read the sign" and they would tell me "I don't read signs, I want to buy stuff now"...

arrgggh... the peasants really are denser than bricks...

One can never go wrong underestimating the intelligence of the average American...