4 Things We Should Remember When Arguing About Politics
(Cracked.com) – When we have a strong opinion on an issue and have researched and validated that opinion, it can be exceptionally difficult to see why anyone would have the opposite viewpoint. Here’s the thing: The person who holds the opposite viewpoint is thinking the exact same thing.
Political discourse in America has reached levels of douchebaggery previously only theorized about but never observed, like conversational dark matter. We’re in a whole new world of hating people based solely on their opinions on a few key issues, and since this is unexplored territory, our conversations about politics are usually only a couple notches beyond the “hold your breath until the other person agrees with you and/or you die” technique.
But it’s the 21st century. We have access to the entirety of collective human knowledge in our back pockets at all times. We have taken pictures of the deepest corners of space. We have three different goddamn TV shows about bidding on abandoned storage units. We as a society should have moved beyond figuratively (and literally, probably, knowing you assholes) shitting in our hands and throwing it at each other whenever someone brings up the deficit.
So, let’s lay down some ground rules for this new interpersonal landscape. Keep these four things in mind and elevate your level of discourse, educate yourself and the people around you, and find simple harmony through honest, open conversation. Or, you know, keep calling each other Dildo Hitlers. It’s up to you.
#4. There Are Intelligent, Well-Thought-Out Arguments on Every Side of (Almost) Any Issue
This is both the most obvious and the most easily overlooked point on this list. When we have a strong opinion on an issue and have researched and validated that opinion, it can be exceptionally difficult to see why anyone would have the opposite viewpoint. Here’s the thing: The person who holds the opposite viewpoint is thinking the exact same thing.
Read more at: http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-things-we-should-remember-when-arguing-about-politics/#ixzz2ThhmaNCD
