|
Post by GiftOfFlavor on Oct 22, 2020 13:26:08 GMT -5
This was posted in a local Facebook group in response to a news story about a large local wildfire. The entire city of Grand Lake is evacuated and many are losing their homes and businesses. A man who lives in the area responded that his home is being lost. And this was another persons response to that sad news. I am not friends with either of these people. I did look at the man’s profile. He has some pro-Trump posts, but nothing that I could see involving climate science at all. Mostly information about local evacuations and people offering to help neighbors evacuate their animals. Is this how things are now? Our political hate is so strong that we can’t even show empathy to a Neighboor who’s losing his home in a fire? Does political party affiliation or support supersede all other aspects of someone’s personality?
|
|
|
Post by maurinsky on Oct 22, 2020 13:47:12 GMT -5
Assholes come in red and blue and green. .
But everything is political. It just doesn't affect everyone in a way that makes it important to everyone
|
|
|
Post by Inky on Oct 22, 2020 19:32:53 GMT -5
There will always be people like that, the internet has made it possible for them to spew crap anonymously. Fortunately there are also lots of people who can put them in their place like Kelsey above.
|
|
|
Post by villanelle on Oct 22, 2020 19:41:55 GMT -5
Yes, everything is political. People's homes burning is political. What scientists say about climate change and have tons of evidence to support--political. There's plenty of guilt on all sides of all issues.
And it creates a cycle that feeds itself. The person who values the climate so heavily is angry and frustrated that climate change is political. So he lashes out at a person he--right or not--feels is contributing to that. So then he politicizes that person's home burning. Now the home guy is so angry and frustrated the he lashes out at someone with who he disagrees. And so it goes. (And I started with the climate change person because this specific story started with them, not because I think they are the first or most innocent part of the cycle, or anything else.)
|
|
|
Post by Sprockey on Oct 23, 2020 12:38:51 GMT -5
Yes, when you feel like people are actively voting for people and things that hurt you (or people you love), it's political. And it's nothing new.
I mean the Gov of Michigan was just saved from a kidnapping and assassination attempt because she had the audacity to close businesses while trying to save lives during the first month into a pandemic. Plenty of people unconcerned about that or feel like she had it coming.
|
|
|
Post by GiftOfFlavor on Oct 23, 2020 14:08:11 GMT -5
Yes, when you feel like people are actively voting for people and things that hurt you (or people you love), it's political. And it's nothing new. I mean the Gov of Michigan was just saved from a kidnapping and assassination attempt because she had the audacity to close businesses while trying to save lives during the first month into a pandemic. Plenty of people unconcerned about that or feel like she had it coming. Does that make it ok to act like an asshole directly to a Neighboor when their house is on fire?
|
|
|
Post by Sprockey on Oct 23, 2020 14:25:52 GMT -5
that wasn't the question you posed in your OP.
Is it ever OK to be an asshole?
I guess it depends....
|
|
|
Post by justthinking on Oct 23, 2020 15:13:49 GMT -5
that wasn't the question you posed in your OP. Is it ever OK to be an asshole? I guess it depends.... My guess is everyone has her own line and those aren't necessarily based on politics. For example: "It's okay to be an asshole EXCEPT when someone's house has burnt down'" might work for some people while, "It's really never okay to be an asshole," might work for others and politics has nothing at all to do with where those people draw that line.
|
|
|
Post by GiftOfFlavor on Oct 23, 2020 15:45:57 GMT -5
that wasn't the question you posed in your OP. Is it ever OK to be an asshole? I guess it depends.... My guess is everyone has her own line and those aren't necessarily based on politics. For example: "It's okay to be an asshole EXCEPT when someone's house has burnt down'" might work for some people while, "It's really never okay to be an asshole," might work for others and politics has nothing at all to do with where those people draw that line. I guess for me, it’s never ok to be an asshole to your Neighboor while their house is burning down, regardless of their political affiliation.
|
|
|
Post by justthinking on Oct 23, 2020 16:10:57 GMT -5
My guess is everyone has her own line and those aren't necessarily based on politics. For example: "It's okay to be an asshole EXCEPT when someone's house has burnt down'" might work for some people while, "It's really never okay to be an asshole," might work for others and politics has nothing at all to do with where those people draw that line. I guess for me, it’s never ok to be an asshole to your Neighboor while their house is burning down, regardless of their political affiliation. And for me it's never okay to be an asshole, period, whether or not someone's house is burning down.
|
|
|
Post by Sprockey on Oct 23, 2020 16:22:18 GMT -5
Agree lol
Sort of like how I feel absolutely nothing that Rush Limbaugh is dying.
I don't actively wish death on anyone but I give zero effs that he's dying. And that's totally based on politics.
Maybe that makes me an asshole?
Don't care.
|
|
|
Post by Tpatt100 on Oct 24, 2020 8:43:19 GMT -5
Agree lol Sort of like how I feel absolutely nothing that Rush Limbaugh is dying. I don't actively wish death on anyone but I give zero effs that he's dying. And that's totally based on politics. Maybe that makes me an asshole? Don't care.
|
|
|
Post by Mamapalooza on Oct 25, 2020 22:04:07 GMT -5
Sadly yes, and it's getting unbearable. I think social media has a lot to do with it. It's far easier to be an asshole to some random on the internet than to say something like to that to a neighbor's face.
|
|
|
Post by marianparoo on Oct 26, 2020 7:57:37 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by villanelle on Oct 28, 2020 11:49:00 GMT -5
I thought of this thread today. Fires are veryclose to my sister's home and I was watching local news stories. One was covering a home that had burned. Parts are still standing, but it was very heavily damaged. I'm sure the home is considered destroyed, but some of the stuff was salvageable, though much was destroyed and I'm sure much more damaged. I noticed on a photo of the burned home last night that they had a huge Trump banner (like ~6'x 2') hanging on their front bushes. At the end of the news story, the reported added, "one more thing. This home has a Trump sign and they've reported getting a lot of hate mail. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything," or something along those lines.
It's appalling to me (and shocking, but sadly not surprising) that strangers would go out of their way to see a trump sign on a destroyed home and make the effort to reach out to say something about it to people whose lives have been upended and who have suffered a very emotional loss and a confusing, overwhelming time. (I would be floored if the home and contents weren't well insured, so I am sure they will be fine financially. It's probably a $2m+ home. And fortunately for them they were doing some remodeling and had a Pod unit in the driveway, in which many items were stored, and those were all spared. But to have nearly everything you own burned or smoke and water damaged has to be such a crippling feeling.) But I also admit there is a tiny part of me that does think, "you reap what you sow". Your guy sows hatred, and that hatred comes back to you. Your guy denies climate change and does nothing to even attempt to address the climate crisis, and your home burns. I am less sympathetic to them than I would be without the sign. Especially because a sign means it's not just a lesser of two evils for them. A massive Trump banner means actual active support and enthusiasm.
So is everything political? Ask someone whose marriage might be invalidated? Ask someone who is far more likely to be killed by a cop (and not even have that death punished by the legal system) for their skin color, when they are just going to the grocery store? Ask someone whose child was shot and killed in an elementary school. To them, it probably does feel like everything is political, so that's the way they are going to move through the world.
|
|