A brief glimpse into the insanity in my area

[qqwref]

I dunno, man... I'd say that anyone who votes Republican at this point is at best deluded/misinformed. I support their right to make that vote but I think it's wrong that anyone would *want* to.

[Charlo]

My experience with people is that they are intolerant of other viewpoints. I am no exception, sadly. I don't get why people have to trumpet their opinions so loudly.

[25thhour]

Originally Posted by Reincarnate

I can relate. All I can say is that you should stick to your guns and get yourself into a school that is sufficiently far away so you don't have to be surrounded by that crap. It's the primary reason I fled to the NE, back in the day. I've spent too much time around too many anti-intellectual, bigoted retards in both Oregon and Texas alike.

I totally agree with this... I live in a retarded ass hick town where everyone is oblivious to the outside world and only care about themselves, they hate any sort of change and if someone is different. It`s like a mini Texas. I may be moving to Calgary (which is like another Texas) but, I am moving for school and to better my life.

Some places just aren`t fit to be your home.

[dore]

people are dumb. sadly in a lot of places, that's the cool thing to do

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by UserNameGoesHere

...whether or not it's a good idea, simply because it is your right as an American citizen ...

Honestly, though, this is part of the problem. Saying it's OK for people to make bad choices because "it's their right to" is incredibly counterproductive. Personally, I hold people to a higher standard than that.

For instance, you have people trying to shoehorn Creationist garbage into the science classroom because "hey it's my right and I am entitled to my opinion," or "Hey let's shift the tax burden away from our 'job creators' so they can invest more -- trickle-down economics will save us." It's all based in fallacy, and wrapped up in rhetoric to make people vote against their own interests.

You've got guys on the Republican ticket like Paul Ryan who think rape is a method of conception. This is like saying genocide is a form of population control.

I just feel like... you know, at some point, you're not entitled to your opinion. You've got a right to free speech, certainly, but when you wield power and try to push for changes that are based on factually inaccurate and ideologically batshit foundations, you are hurting the country.

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'" - Isaac Asimov

[UserNameGoesHere]

You do have a point, but I don't know what can be done. We could try improving the educational system, but ultimately you can't force people to learn things or to think if they don't want to or don't see the need. People are blissfully unaware in their simplicity.

Also, love the Isaac Asimov quote.

[Syhto]

haha texas, what you know about that. take a trip across the US youll see there are plenty of hicktown usa places in every state, its the american way

i just went through the south again with fresh eyes and you know, at least most of the people are friendly, if not really odd. i mean, you can't really blame them for being backwards. they feel like they're doing their part by being hicks lol, just gotta smile at them : )D anyways the revolution starts with you, thats all i can see. Because how can anyone tackle a machine like society without total rehaul? and when would we ever be able to come to a consensus, unless our eyes were open and we were all open to change. you have to analyze your part in ~tha world~ and set an example, its really all you can do. you can't fight bigotry with bigotry, its a vicious cycle if you fail to understand where they are coming from.

people have their reasons and really we're all struggling with our own probs. try to be compassionate, don't worry about the state of the world so much, i rly think that's what the world needs

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by Syhto

you can't fight bigotry with bigotry, its a vicious cycle if you fail to understand where they are coming from.

Who's fighting bigotry with bigotry? I don't think it's a problem of "failing to understand where they are coming from."

[Syhto]

It may not necessarily be "bigotry" but there is usually a sense of 'im better than these people and they're retarded', when that is the kind of thinking that makes bigots hate intellectual types in the first place.

[Reincarnate]

It's not arrogant to point out someone's ignorance/hypocrisy when they try to push power over people based on ill-founded emotional appeals and demonstrably false gibberish.

[Syhto]

True, I guess I'm just saying generally its a waste of time to be angry at ignorant people. telling them what's what is fine, but try to keep your cool and don't let it get to you. Like in the ops situation, you'd probably be much happier worrying about your own plans and education etc rather than feel suffocated by everyone else's supposed views. at least that's easiest on me rather than worrying about how retarded politics are, etc. which used to drain all my energy. if t motivates you that's ok but if t fuels anger and the like then it sux. speaking generally here

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by Syhto

True, I guess I'm just saying generally its a waste of time to be angry at ignorant people. telling them what's what is fine, but try to keep your cool and don't let it get to you. Like in the ops situation, you'd probably be much happier worrying about your own plans and education etc rather than feel suffocated by everyone else's supposed views. at least that's easiest on me rather than worrying about how retarded politics are, etc. which used to drain all my energy. if t motivates you that's ok but if t fuels anger and the like then it sux. speaking generally here

thing is, it's not as easy as "worry about yourself" and ignore supposed views when those views are pushing for actual changes that affect people. politics are retarded but ignoring them just allows agendas to get pushed uncontested.

[Syhto]

Eh, there are a lot of subtleties. you can do your own part without being absorbed by it, and its kinda hard to fight when you disagree with the whole thing. so when I say worry about yourself, that also includes your place in the political spectrum and reform. its what you can do vs what you can't do. you can't always change peoples minds, however you are in control of your happiness and outlook. And I think outlook is the most important, seeing as so many people are totally in the dark and just say **** all, the only people that are running it have their thumbs up their asses anyways. aka be an example like I said in my first post. its always easier said than done

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by Syhto

Eh, there are a lot of subtleties. you can do your own part without being absorbed by it, and its kinda hard to fight when you disagree with the whole thing. so when I say worry about yourself, that also includes your place in the political spectrum and reform. its what you can do vs what you can't do. you can't always change peoples minds, however you are in control of your happiness and outlook. And I think outlook is the most important, seeing as so many people are totally in the dark and just say **** all, the only people that are running it have their thumbs up their asses anyways. aka be an example like I said in my first post. its always easier said than done

I agree that it's easy to get absorbed by it. I spend a fair bit of time researching things in the news and it just makes me angry in the end. I'm not sure what that ultimately accomplishes. At the same time, though, ignorance is not necessarily bliss and it doesn't help to not know how the country is changing over time.

"Worrying about myself and my place in the spectrum" feels incomplete to me, because I am part of a society. Even if I am not directly affected by education cuts at this point in my life, or affected by gay marriage law since I am straight, and so on -- I am affected by a society that is composed of people who ARE affected by these things directly, and the dynamics are completely different because of it. I don't like being part of a society where people are discriminated against for absurd reasons or where scientific progress and education are hindered by superstition and fallacy.

Really, the question is how to feel less helpless as an average citizen, and I think that is best accomplished by setting an example and teaching people how to do things like writing to congresspeople to try to bring about change. It helps to perpetuate the practice of questioning things critically and doing your research, etc. You won't change the fundamentalists/extremists who are set in their ideologies, but you can at least play to the middle.

[Cavernio]

"I just feel like... you know, at some point, you're not entitled to your opinion. You've got a right to free speech, certainly, but when you wield power and try to push for changes that are based on factually inaccurate and ideologically batshit foundations, you are hurting the country."

I think this is one of the smartest things you've ever said, especially the 'when you wield power' section. And we all have power over more than just ourselves.

As great as it is to say it's only one's outlook that matters, that's bs when it comes down to the necessities of life. If you lack things like food, shelter and health, (not even considering that happiness becomes incredibly hard to have under such instances), your life is going to be cut short. And how a country or province or state is led can directly affect all the necessities of life.

[UserNameGoesHere]

The problem is, when you are surrounded by fundamentalists, you can't just worry about yourself because they won't let you. They will push their views and their beliefs onto you. They will punish you for not accepting their dogma if it is at all possible for them to do so, legally or not. They will openly attack you and demand that you explain yourself while claiming that you are the aggressor. You of course being anyone who isn't just like they are. There is a very black-and-white with-us-or-against-us type mentality.

As for having a college degree, it isn't so much flaunting that as it is people will openly hate you strictly because you do have a degree if they don't happen to have one. It generally becomes known that you have a degree and you will then be discriminated against because of this. I don't go bragging about it. I don't even bring it up in conversation unless asked. But people can usually guess and if they know you they know.

I try to avoid these types of fundamentalist people as often as possible but it isn't always possible. I don't care to discuss politics or religion with them but again they also make that impossible as they directly probe. They seek you out. Then, if you then don't answer the "right way" (aka religious fundamentalist way) you are "the enemy" and "the aggressor" and "have some 'splainin' to do".

I realize I can't change these peoples' minds, but how do I go about avoiding them when there are so many of them, they're very vocal, and they actively seek people out to probe to see if they are "friend" (one of them) or "foe" (everyone else)? And how do I stop their bad decisions from affecting my life?

[Reincarnate]

Leave

[igotrhythm]

Regarding the Paul Ryan quote regarding rape: He's certainly not wrong, and the laws are such that a rapist can successfully sue for custody of their child. (Nor is it impossible for a woman to sexually assault or even rape a man, but that's a different argument.) What IS turning me off is the lack of compassion he has for the victims.

Combine this with Todd Akin's assertion that the female body has its own defenses against a rapist's semen, and you have clear proof that there's no such thing as too much education if those that are able to weasel their way into federal office can hold such absurd notions.

Going back to OP's quandary about how to avoid being attacked because he's different from his neighbors, he's probably asking because he's at his wit's end, and "I'd rather not talk about it" doesn't work anymore. Short of leaving, his best defense is probably one of isolationism until he has the resources necessary to move to a region of greater tolerance. From where I'm sitting, looking for an out-of-town job, at least on the surface, cures both problems: Less time around antagonists and you build up money to prepare for an eventual exodus.

Good luck out there, UNGH.

[Syhto]

reincarnate I agree, you can't just worry about issues that directly affect you. however when talking about people finding their "place", it also should include figuring out which issues seem most pressing and which ones you feel strongly enough about, to educate yourself and put yourself out there for advocating change/help etc. it's easy to be discouraged if you go all over the map and sign petitions etc, but every little bit of effort does help. It just depends on which issues hit home the most for you, so you can be passionate about it and make a bigger difference than perhaps just being well informed.

And I'm not trying to say oh just worry about yourself, as in ignore everything else. I mean you need to worry about what YOU are putting out there, how you deal with people, what you're doing, etc. It isn't just YOU, it's you and your relation to everything around you and the impact you are having on the world. It's certainly true that there are a lot of injustices going on, all the time there are new things springing up, but I believe our general attitude is in need of reform as well. it isn't that hard to say, change the way you react to those "extremists" in Atlanta.

I'm not trying to come out with an idealist approach to being happy, only saying that, it's up to you to change anything in your environment. aka complaining about things, isn't going to help. Sometimes, it's important to be REALLY MAD at things. Some things are just crazy, you can't always be happy or be understanding. But you have to be somewhat in control of yourself, at the very least, not being dragged around by opposing factors.

Originally Posted by cavernio

As great as it is to say it's only one's outlook that matters, that's bs when it comes down to the necessities of life.

lol, who said that? I said it was important. If you go out in a world of doom and gloom, what point is there in leading a fulfilling life. You have to take care of yourself and your outlook, if you don't have the outlook that you can go out and change the world, or at least something, why would you leave the comfort of your living room or room on the computer or playing video games or what have you? The world is made up of billions of individuals, if everyone were to say, have a positive outlook and went out everyday full of energy, can you imagine the impact?

That being said, yes, we're all part of society. It is a huge machine with lots of inter and co dependencies that we rely on to continue our everyday lives. HOWEVER, I feel that that so many people carry around toooo much baggage. That is why I say the revolution starts with the individual, and it's an ongoing process. If you have the means to change your mind and learn and grow with the way you feel, you can discover much more than the political and media fed status quo. Life is about living, right ??? So less worrying, more going out and doing something. Even small things make a difference.

IDK MAN, I JUST GET TIRED OF THE SAME ARGUMENTS. its always like omg rednecks are dumb and christians are stupid all the time. I really don't feel that way, I think it's kind of funny, even when perhaps it isn't. there's another side to every story. just do your part and live your life and enjoy it. I don't think you have much more you are obligated to do

[UserNameGoesHere]

Understand that I don't have a problem with all Christians. It's only the pushy fundamentalist types I have a problem with.

It's also quite hard to avoid confrontation with such types when they come up to you and accost you.

Also, this isn't Atlanta-specific. In fact, Atlanta is probably one of the better places in the state. That particular post merely served as a perfect example of the types of fundamentalist people who tend to cause problems around here.

I do try to avoid them but it's not always possible, especially in certain areas.

They try to change laws to dictate how you live based on their beliefs as to how they live and how everyone else "should" live. They are against things such as religious freedoms (which they favor only when it is their religion in question -- not ever for any others). They are pro taking your rights away.

It is only the religious fundamentalists who are a real problem.