Posted on 04/29/2013 12:48:01 PM PDT by jazusamo
While it is not possible to answer all the e-mails and letters from readers, many are thought-provoking, whether those thoughts are positive or negative.
An e-mail from one young man simply asked for the sources of some facts about gun control that were mentioned in a recent column. It is good to check out the facts — especially if you check out the facts on both sides of an issue.
By contrast, another man simply denounced me because of what was said in that column. He did not ask for my sources but simply made contrary assertions, as if his assertions must be correct and therefore mine must be wrong.
He identified himself as a physician, and the claims that he made about guns were claims that had been made years ago in a medical journal — and thoroughly discredited since then. He might have learned that, if we had engaged in a back and forth discussion, but it was clear from his letter that his goal was not debate but denunciation. That is often the case these days.
It is always amazing how many serious issues are not discussed seriously, but instead simply generate assertions and counter-assertions. On television talk shows, people on opposite sides often just try to shout each other down.
There is a remarkable range of ways of seeming to argue without actually producing any coherent argument.
Decades of dumbed-down education no doubt have something to do with this, but there is more to it than that. Education is not merely neglected in many of our schools today, but is replaced to a great extent by ideological indoctrination. Moreover, it is largely indoctrination based on the same set of underlying and unexamined assumptions among teachers and institutions.
(Excerpt) Read more at creators.com ...
Today, you just have to be able to sweep your arm.
Is thinking obsolete? It is at DU.
Discussing writing and creativity- I’ve actually had someone tell me that they couldn’t imagine anything unless a pro writer did it first! That- and that something I wrote had ‘too many words’!!
People are so stupid that they don’t realize how stupid they are. They are proud that they don’t think! I guess the brain is just there to keep their head from collapsing.
The retards who don’t think, don’t watch DD.
Thanks, Kas...That’s an excellent example of what Dr. Sowell mentioned, and a good piece by Ransom.
Too true.
You’re welcome, jaz, I thought it was
Yikes! :-)
Mark Twain’s definition of an expert - “A damn fool 500 miles from home.”
That would be Mrs WBill. Family is all dem. Her friends used to range from "liberal" to "DU won't take them because they're too radical".
I say "used to" because she's slowly divorcing herself from her old life. I'd guess that this is by choice - we're living a fairly happy middle class family life. All of her old, college (liberal) friends are still single and/or divorced, aging ungracefully, popping happy pills by the handful, all very deeply embittered people. Meanwhile, their biological clocks are all still ticking away. But I digress.....
She's in education, so all of her co-workers are Dem too. That's another story, in and of itself. Workplace Liberalism is a jealous god, and doesn't tolerate opposing viewpoints well.
When we first met, she said that she liked me because "I wasn't a bigot, like all of the other Republicans she knew."
We were at a party at her friends' place. Playing dumb, I asked, "Really? Who here is a bigot?" ................ No one. Turns out that I was the first Republican that she really (reallly, really) got to know well. That was step one.
Deprogramming has been a long and difficult process, but it's been eminently worthwhile. Paying taxes was the next step. First return we filed after we were married, she looked it over and said "!#!@##%$@$@#$@ !@##!@ @#$@#$#@$@$@ @#@. This is more than my college tuition!!!!!!!!".
Yep.
Kids were step three. If you've got 1/2 a brain (which she does), they're guaranteed to make you more conservative (which they have).
Now, if I can keep my Mother in Law from continually whispering foolishness in her ear, I'll be home free.
No, but the choice to think or not to think is man's basic freedom of choice.And choosing to think is something that libtards are either unable or unwilling to do, which leaves them with subjectivism, emotionalism, and social metaphysics with its groupthink mentality.
This is the age of the death of reason.
BUMP!!
It all came out of the hippie generation’s everyone’s opinion is equally important, even the opinions of the uninformed. So, using this theory, William F Buckley’s opinion is no better than Alec Baldwin.
I know this is an over simplification, but that is it in a nutshell All downhill from this premise.
Well, we don’t teach it anymore.
Every generation have their philosophy king....people who express the culture
This generation has Homer Simpson...
“A damn fool 500 miles from home.”
This is Scriptural, and a corollary on the words of Jesus - “A prophet is without honor in his hometown”
Is thinking obsolete? It is in Washington. In fact, it seems to be actively discouraged. Remember what Nancy Pelosi said about ObamaCare? She said Congress would have to pass the bill in order to learn what it is in the bill. Can you say “back-asswards”?
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