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I'd prefer a long list of questions and give them all the room they want to explain themselves. Beats the hell out of pundits playing guess this mess. Beats the hell out of this never ending adversarial drama trying to get one over on everyone. You'd think by now they'd catch on they still have to be neighbors tomorrow.
There is another reason holding discussions of policy and issues back that is usually dismissed. This is the fear of being wrong. Very few people have the honest courage to stand up, and say, "This is what I think and what I think we should do", outside the context of basic party sound bytes. Because the hardest thing next to having ones beliefs challenged or dealing with cognitive dissonance is being seen as wrong on an opinion. People identify with groups for the solidarity and back slapping of peers who can say, "yeah good job, you really stuck it to them", and without this reinforcement, many people simply remain silent.
For instance, what if this and every forum required us to list our full names, addresses and phone numbers along with a recent drivers license photo. Now how many folks would stand up and type what they type here? Notice how many people, when asked a question will offer a link to someone elses thoughts. How many people here write threads making assertions or offering their own opinions that instead of using supporting evidence from links to other sources of information, instead rely on other sources as the primary reason for the thread. Threads to which they then only post a cursory, "yeeehaw" or "see look here, this is what I'm saying" type of thing.
I'd love to see the forum spend a week with no links, just personal thoughts that haven't been cut and pasted from someone else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaggy001
I'm not aware of any equivalent in the US.
CSPAN has a morning call in program to air public opinion. Sad that this is the only one I can think of, unless you consider CNN's "tweet reports" which they rifle through picking and choose which to air.
And by posting such you re-enforce my case that liberal progressives are for the destruction of our Constitution and Republican form of government. Thanks for playing!
Thank you for posting. This is a great example of the point the OP was trying to make.
Thank you for posting. This is a great example of the point the OP was trying to make.
Sometimes, those who notice that they can't seem to gain much yardage and get tired of punting all the time, deliver a verbal barrage and (swiftly) quietly sneak off the field.
People like the comfort of the known and the "given". They like belonging to a side. They don't like reading about a bill or idea and really allowing themselves to think of all it might mean, as in looking *ahead*. Its scary. And schools do not teach critical and analitical thinking anymore.
So its comforting to hear what "your" side thinks and go *yeah!*. Do not distrub the brain too much or you might find some filiments of doubt. Look at "the other side" as if they had not wisdom at all. If your side is right and they don't agree with it, then they have to be wrong. Then go and watch a competition on tv to see who is the best celeb dancer or who loses the most weight or is willing to embarres themselves the most or who gets voted off the island. If you want "higher" persuits try the cable channels and their contests. Why is everything being taken over by contests, even things like History or Discovery where the shows are supposed to be about ideas? But it does have "sides" and we like having sides since its a comfort to us.
Those who don't follow this line are given names too. Picked selectively apart as well. Selectively since some of it might match so you ignore that. Can't have something distressing like that happen.
But what we need are really true discussions of ideas. Sure an idea sounds good, but is it? What are the real effects it might have? What could be done with existing laws without making a *new* law? This is the sort of stuff PBS used to have on. Networks used to have news and investigative reporting. Now they have the crime report and the 30 second version of the stories that are hard to pin down. All of it reduced to slogans.
I would love to see our politicans have Question time. It would scare them so bad they would not know what to say. No speech writers, no prompters, no pr guys whispering in the ear, just what do YOU think? I wonder how many would turn it on and get confused and retreat back to right or left sheepdome because it might make them think a little too.
People like the comfort of the known and the "given". They like belonging to a side. They don't like reading about a bill or idea and really allowing themselves to think of all it might mean, as in looking *ahead*. Its scary. And schools do not teach critical and analitical thinking anymore.
So its comforting to hear what "your" side thinks and go *yeah!*. Do not distrub the brain too much or you might find some filiments of doubt. Look at "the other side" as if they had not wisdom at all. If your side is right and they don't agree with it, then they have to be wrong. Then go and watch a competition on tv to see who is the best celeb dancer or who loses the most weight or is willing to embarrass themselves the most or who gets voted off the island. If you want "higher" persuits try the cable channels and their contests. Why is everything being taken over by contests, even things like History or Discovery where the shows are supposed to be about ideas? But it does have "sides" and we like having sides since its a comfort to us.
Those who don't follow this line are given names too. Picked selectively apart as well. Selectively since some of it might match so you ignore that. Can't have something distressing like that happen.
But what we need are really true discussions of ideas. Sure an idea sounds good, but is it? What are the real effects it might have? What could be done with existing laws without making a *new* law? This is the sort of stuff PBS used to have on. Networks used to have news and investigative reporting. Now they have the crime report and the 30 second version of the stories that are hard to pin down. All of it reduced to slogans.
I would love to see our politicans have Question time. It would scare them so bad they would not know what to say. No speech writers, no prompters, no PR guys whispering in the ear, just what do YOU think? I wonder how many would turn it on and get confused and retreat back to right or left sheepdome because it might make them think a little too.
You covered it pretty well, but there are probably additional factors.
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