illaim

Posts Tagged ‘David Duke’

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Ruining The Conversation

In Cable News, Political Dame, POLY SCI on January 1, 2015 at 4:48 pm

Some things I just don’t understand.

While perusing Twitter on the last day of 2014 I came across this set of tweets.

Perplexed by the initial volley which caused ABL’s terse response I asked:

Sadly, I think I’m beginning to concur with her.

The prior back and forth was spawned by the recent revelation that House of Representatives Majority Whip (The same job Frank Underwood held in the 1st Season of “House of Cards”) Steve Scalise met with a White nationalist group 15 years ago created by David Duke.

Yes

This David Duke.

David-Duke-KKK1

David Duke, styling and profiling

 

It’s debatable as to how relatively long 15 years ago truly is in the general span of ones life.

But

It’s pretty much fair to say there’s a difference between calling somebody a nigger 15 years ago in a fit of anger, verses meeting with a group founded by a man who once held significant rank in an organization who pretty much wouldn’t mind the wholesale eradication of Black folk.

Scalise’s meeting has been discussed by numerous platforms and doing so here is not my desire. What I would like touch on, are sentiments like this:

Regardless of political bent, it should be fairly obvious to any earnest person, that someone taking umbrage with America’s history and foreign policy endeavors is far different from say, holding a position of power in America’s most notorious terrorist organization.

That logical assertion directs me to a question I’ve repeatedly asked myself over the past several years, “Do people make such spurious assertions and correlations to simply troll those who they disagree with politically, or, do they actually believe the foolishness that they speak?

The height of such idiocy domestically was spawned soon after the Tea Party roared to prominence after President Obama’s first election, after which many would bet their firstborn on the assertion that Obama was a radical socialist, when any person who paid even a modicum of attention in the most remedial of political science classes could tell you that contention could be best classified as the utterance of a fool.

So why do people say/believe such things?

Like numerous less than altruistic endeavors, there is (great) profit to be made by misinforming people. Fox News revenues routinely surpass the 1.5 billion mark, with it ultimately clearing or coming extremely close to earning a billion annually.

Misinformation is a big business.

No matter how egregious one might find outlets like Fox News, placing the moronic political pronouncements of the populace squarely at their and similar media outlets feet is as foolish as it is unfair.

We are all ultimately responsible for our own political enlightenment as citizens. Given that we are fortunate not to live in a authoritarian society and are not bludgeoned with a steady diet replete of nothing but propaganda, we have no excuse to steadfastly believe and espouse ignorance in political matters.

Simply put, comparing Jeremiah Wright to David Duke, should not be an action taken by those owning triple digit IQ’s.

We are constantly told as a nation about the “conversations” we need to have among ourselves, as to ultimately bring us closer together and, in general, I agree with that refrain.

But

Who likes or wants to engage in conversation with a person reading from an idiots script?

Disagreement is a good thing.

Personally I often like disagreeing with people, because disagreement with another often lends insight into aspects of an issue previously not considered. Unfortunately the rantings of fools and or insincere manipulators, are bastardizing what could be productive disagreement and simultaneously stunting our needed conversations.

By Damien Bradley
@illaim