chained to ideology

One thing that I have found particularly distasteful lately in politics is the amount of demagoguery that goes on coming from "both" sides of the political scene. In America it seems to have taken the shape of "people who hate Bush" and "people who love Bush."

People take positions that are ludicrous because they are chained to their ideologies (liberal/conservative) or their political parties. Or perhaps they are just chained to the idea that they are so right and everyone else is so wrong. That's another conversation, though.

I think that people need to start having more intelligent conversations about issues and events rather than have mudslinging contests where they pretend they are intellectual and politically aware by parroting the party line from both sides. People who spew out anti-Bush or anti-war rhetoric are often just as guilty as those who condemn people who question what is going on.

The state of political discourse in this nation sucks - it's like we're living in one huge episode of Crossfire or Hannity & Colmes where you want to tell everyone to just shut up and listen to what's being said. People can't seem to form opinions based on anything but hatred of someone else based on a straw man of their beliefs or opinions. They tow the party line, bury intellectual integrity and honesty, and argue as hard as they can in order to prove the other person (1) wrong, or (2) stupid.

The end result is a political and intellectual climate where it is nearly impossible to have any sort of discussion without it degenerating into a shouting match or a fight of some sort. We need to get back to talking about issues in an honest way, and really looking at the facts and the people involved.

Demonizing people, ideas, and groups is an easy thing to do these days, and it is passing for debate when in fact it is an exercise in narcisissm. By chaining yourself to an ideology, party, or opposition to one thing or another, and by doing nothing but spewing out what the machine gives you (or the "anti-machine machine") then you do nothing to advance mankind or your own personal development. You build a fantasy land in which everyone other than those who agree with you are both simple-minded morons and evil masterminds. You become unable to hold any sort of intelligent discourse and can do nothing but bark and growl like an angry dog and do the tricks your side has taught you.

This kind of "debate" is the kind most commonly found in our nation today - and it does nothing but hurt us.