Saturday, June 23, 2012

Dialectic In Peril

When I was your age I did my bit to try to change the world. I volunteered, I proselytized, and the world did what it was going to do anyhow. My innate cynicism flourished, and now I stay informed and vote and even occasionally contribute, but I don’t talk politics anymore.

"Why not?" you ask, and it's sweet of you to do so. Well, if we agree politically, then it’s pointless to reiterate the issue except either to gloat or to bitch in unison. If we disagree, I’m not going to change your mind. I may give you pause, but you’re not going to get in your car thinking, “Huh. She was right!”

People don’t change their positions. Oh, they might appear to change their minds if you offer enough factual evidence to the contrary, but that’s different.

“I want to go to a movie” can change based on timing, traffic, parking, that everything playing is crap, those people in front of you last time you went, or any number of things. But the basic position of “I want to have a pleasant evening” doesn’t change.

Likewise, “That peach looks yummy” can change when you show them that something is moving around inside it.

See that? I used entirely non-political examples. Yay me. I also obscured my point, but I probably lost you during the movie bit so I don’t need to conclude with the following:

That’s why I don’t discuss politics on this blog.

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